Somewhat lost in the Atlanta Braves monumental struggles of late has been just how awesome Chris Sale has been. After trading for Sale for pennies on the dollar before the season, the Braves promptly signed Sale to an extension with the hope that he could recapture his former magic and, importantly, stay healthy.
However, few expected Sale to be as good as he has been this season to say the least. Now, after twirling another absolute gem against the Giants on Monday when the Braves needed it most, there is basically no argument for anyone other than Sale right now in the NL Cy Young race.
Chris Sale's dominance with Braves is more than worthy of Cy Young frontrunner status
Predicting end-of-year awards can be a bit of a fool's errand at times. Some voters only care about old school counting stats like wins and strikeouts, others won't even consider players on non-contending teams, while others take a more analytical approach. The end result can often lead to less that desirable outcomes in the end given that it is up to each individual voter to create their own criteria for evaluating who is worthy.
However, Sale is making the best case for the NL Cy Young regardless of how you look at the race. After throwing seven shutout innings against San Francisco with 12 strikeouts and zero walks, Sale's 2024 line currently sits with a 2.61 ERA and 177 strikeouts against just 30 walks in 134.2 innings of work. Zooming out even more, Sale's dominance is abundantly clear.
So... Chris Sale should be the NL Cy Young frontrunner right now?
— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) August 13, 2024
Leading in fWAR by a wide margin.
No. 2 in bWAR.
No. 1 in ERA among qualified pitchers.
No. 1 in FIP.
No. 1 in xERA.
No. 1 in xFIP.
No. 1 in strikeout rate.
No. 4 in walk rate.
Top 10 in innings. https://t.co/aAkIIlDlFi
There are going to be real contenders competing with Sale over the final month and a half of the season. Pirates rookie Paul Skenes is the hottest name and is capable of doing something remarkable on any given night, but his lack of a full season of work will get held against him a bit. Zack Wheeler, Dylan Cease, and Hunter Greene have what it takes to make things interesting this year as well.
However, as long as Sale stays healthy which is far from a sure thing given how this season has gone for the Braves and his injury history, it sure seems like his first Cy Young award is his to lose right now.