2. CWS – Quintana/Sale
Sale: 68.1 IP, 9-0, 1.58 ERA, 0.717 WHIP, 62 K
Quintana: 59 IP, 5-3, 1.98 ERA, 1.017 WHIP, 52 K
With the continued success of Clayton Kershaw, Jake Arrieta and the hype of the New York Mets’ rotation, it can be possible to overlook the tremendous success that Chris Sale and Jose Quintana have had in Chicago. Going into this season, most people expected Sale to continue being one of the best starters in MLB, but not many could predicted the rise of Quintana.
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Quintana has been a solid pitcher for the White Sox over the past four years, finishing every season from 2013-2015 with an ERA in the mid 3.00’s. These numbers show that the 27 year-old left-hander is a good starter, but not deserving of being part of a rankings as hefty as this. This rise up near the top of pitching combos in the majors has started this season with Quintana allowing less than two runs per start and being third in Fielding Independent Pitching in the entire major leagues. But how has Quintana improved so much in 2016?
His strikeout and walk rates are slightly improved, but not so much that it would signal this type of increased production. He has also not seen a tick in velocity, even though he is throwing his fastball at a much greater percentage according to FanGraphs. The main reason for this improvement is that he rarely gives up homers. He has always had low home run totals, but this season has been something else with him giving up around 0.2 long balls for every nine innings pitched.
Sale has been dominant once again this season, even with his strikeout rates and velocity on the decline. He has made history with his 9-0 start to 2016. Both southpaws have been some of the most consistent pitchers in baseball, which should excite many White Sox fans about their prospects for the rest of this season.
Next: Number 1