5 years agoChris Sale has become somewhat of an afterthought among elite AL starting pitchers after back-to-back injury-plagued seasons, but could bounce back in a big way in 2020. Sale threw just 147.1 and 158 innings over the last two seasons due to elbow and shoulder inflammation but is still an elite starter when healthy. Injuries are a concern, but they also create a discount for a pitcher who threw over 200 innings per season from 2015-2017 and led the league in strikeouts twice in that span while being a borderline first-rounder in fantasy. His 4.40 ERA last season was bad, but a 2.93 xFIP implies he got a little unlucky. In fact, the difference between his ERA (4.40) and FIP (3.39) was the fourth largest in the Majors. This was caused by a BABIP (.309), strand rate (66.7) and home run to fly ball rate (19.5) that were all much worse than his career, and MLB, averages. Expect those numbers normalize which should get Sale’s stats back to where they should be based on his immense talent. The 7-time All-Star is one of just three starters to post a K% over 30 percent three straight seasons so he’ll continue to rack up strikeouts. If he stays healthy he has number one starter in fantasy upside, but can be drafted near 40th overall according to NFBC ADP data.--Mike Schwarzenbach - RotoBaller