Chris Sale is the most dominant pitcher in baseball

Chris Sale continues to “K” his way to being the most dominant pitcher in baseball.

The Boston Red Sox had a potent offense in 2016 that helped lead them to the American League East title. While their offense was a big reason for their success, their stating staff was also a strength of their squad.

David Price went 17-9 with a 3.99 ERA, Steven Wright went 13-6 with a 3.33 ERA and Rick Porcello won the Cy Young award with a 22-4 record, 3.15 ERA and 1.01 WHIP.

Heading into 2017, the Red Sox did not rest on their laurels and dealt some of their top prospects to the Chicago White Sox for Chris Sale. It may turn out to be the most important decision the franchise has made in a long time.

Sale was excellent for the White Sox in 2016 as he was 17-10 with a 3.34 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. His most impressive stat though was that he struck out 233 batters in 226.2 innings pitched.

While his strikeouts last season were impressive, he was even better in 2015 when he led the majors with 274 strikeouts in 208.2 innings. Overall, he entered 2017 having recorded at least 200 strikeouts in each of the last four seasons.

Next: MLB's 20 Richest Players

Sale has been excellent for the Red Sox so far this season. He is 4-2 with a 2.15 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and has 85 strikeouts in 58.2 innings. The 85 strikeouts lead the league by a wide margin and his 0.77 WHIP puts him in a first-place tie with Carlos Carassco of the Cleveland Indians entering Sunday. Opponents are hitting a measly .160 against Sale and he has recorded at least 10 strikeouts in seven straight starts.

The addition of Sale has turned out to be a necessity for Boston as Price has yet to pitch this season with an elbow injury and Wright is already lost for the year with a knee injury. Porcello isn’t off to a great start either as he has a 4.01 ERA and 1.34 WHIP.

Their are some excellent starting pitchers throughout the league, but Sale’s numbers prove that he is the most dominant pitcher in all of baseball.