Chris Sale and Jacob deGrom: Hall of Fame?

     

    When looking at active pitchers, especially starters, you'd find that Chris Sale and Jacob deGrom are among the best. Chris Sale has the best ever K/9 rate and deGrom is only 0.1 strikeout away from that mark. deGrom has the best ever K/BB ratio, at 5.38 (Sale is not too far away in this category at 5.26). So both of these guys are elite players, who seemed to be steamrolling into the Hall of Fame as of 2019. However, injuries have been thrashing both of these players' careers.

    Since the shortened 2020 season, Jacob deGrom has made only 32 starts. In that time, as usual, he has been great (14-6, 2.03), but he is 35 and recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, which doesn't usually go well for a pitcher's statistics. He currently sits with an 84-57 record (.596) and a stunning 2.53 ERA. However, I know I wouldn't vote for a starter who won less than 100 career wins, and he's still 16 away from that mark. And at 35, you have to wonder how much time he has left in the Show. If he can avoid injuries (for the most part) and pitch until he's forty, he should be set. However, that is way too much to ask of an injury-plagued mid-30s starter. This is a comment that I got from my second-ever post, which was about the best starter in the game:

DeGrom is better - IF he's healthy. Otherwise Strider is #1. (GTT)

Well, there you have it. The one thing holding deGrom back from being the best is his questionable health.

    The case for Chris sale is a little bit more complicated. He sits at a solid 120-80 (.600) and 3.10 ERA. However, since 2020, he has made only 31 appearances, and in that time has compiled an 11-7 record and 3.93 ERA. So not only is he having injury trouble, but he is also beginning to have a dropoff. I think we begin to forget the days of 12-4, 2.17 Chris Sale. In a span of seven seasons (2012-2018), Sale was an all-star seven times and never finished worse than sixth in Cy Young award voting. He was 99-59 with a 2.91 ERA in that time. If we can see a little more of that out of the 34-year-old, then he too may be set.

    So, do these guys have a shot at the illustrious Hall of Fame? Yes. Is it a good shot? No. If they could just avoid injuries for a couple more seasons, they should be in pretty good shape. Especially Chris Sale, who has an edge in wins at 120. 

    I would like to see these pitchers perform in perfect health because I know that they are Hall of Fame level. They are just to injury plagued and are getting old. 

Afterward:

    Just an idea. We should nickname Jacob deGrom Deggy and Chris Sale Saleboat.  Tell me what you think of these nicknames in the comments.