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Originally Posted by WhiteSox5187
While that is true I also think that because it was Sale's first year in the rotation it is harder to complain about him fading down the stretch than it would be if a guy like Danks started to struggle were he around. Sale was just out of gas and it stands to reason as to why he would be.
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Absolutely, I think many people had very legitimate fears that Sale wouldn't be able to hold up for the entire season, it's stressful for any pitcher let alone a twig like Sale who fell to the Sox in the draft precisely because there were some legitimate concerns if he had the build to hold up as a starter. He really progressed as a pitcher this year who used location and pitch selection to get guys out rather than relying on pure velocity. It's was a very, very encouraging year.
I think going into this year, anyone who would have projected Sale for 29 starts and 192 innings with an ERA under 3 for almost the entire season would have been labeled as a polyanna. He pretty much exceeded every realistic expectation.