Scouting Video: Chris Sale, LHP, Florida Gulf Coast (2010 Draft)
By The Baseball Beginnings Guy
March 11, 2010
Left-hander Chris Sale’s frame is long, loose and lean and offers the potential that there is more power to come in his arm. That is one reason why I like Sale, because I think he has more projection that you typically find in college starting pitchers considered for the first round. Most times, guys who are proclaimed “polished,” are anything but. In this case, Sale is more like a fresh and loose arm who is going to be adding polish to power as a pro. That is a very desirable combination from a scouting perspective.
When you break down Sale’s delivery, you find very solid points. He comes across the rubber in coordination, he aims at the plate, he lands fairly well, he is aware of getting on top of the ball and creating extension and downhill plane, and he has natural life on the fastball.
Sale already shows you some signs of having an instinctive idea of what he’s doing. From a hitter’s perspective, Sale does well by hiding the ball much longer than many other college pitchers. This adds to his deception and makes his movement more effective.
Physically, Sale has the frame and arm speed that suggests more power. He’s got a curveball and a slider and, in my look, a concept of how to pitch one off the other. Sale is a definite first-rounder for me and I think a viable possibility as a future No. 1 or No. 2 major league starter.
Read Chris Sale Scouting Report
Read Chris Sale Q&A
Read post-draft Fall 2010 Catching up with Chris Sale
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