Ah, BTF. Red Sox suck: 30 posts. White Sox have a good pitcher: 0 posts.

I think people are avoiding the thread because there really is no such physical territory as a FIP Code.

The fact that Chris Sale has a good FIP is something I think we all know. This blog post appears to be saying absolutely nothing beyond, "Chris Sale has a good FIP." It's notable that Bob Evans didn't have anything to say in response to the actual article, either.

Ehh, it's all about ratings. There's what, something like six (White) Sox fans who post here? We're a small, not-particularly-vocal and somewhat grouchy (me especially) group.

No, I'll post a dumb comment on almost any article, regardless of what team it's about. Matt's right. TFE is literally just walking you through a FIP calculation. It's boring.

I guess it's worth saying that, at least based on the url, this is coming from a major MSM outlet, and it's cool that FIP is in there. But beyond that... There's just nothing here.

Is Sale hitting the wall? His last eight starts are looking merely human.

Blue Jay announcers were marvelling over the precociousness of the 2010 draft - I wonder what the record for most WAR produced by a draft class as of draft year + 2 is?

The fact that Chris Sale has a good FIP is something I think we all know. This blog post appears to be saying absolutely nothing beyond, "Chris Sale has a good FIP." It's notable that Bob Evans didn't have anything to say in response to the actual article, either.

Fair enough, but Sale's transition from pretty good reliever to amazing starter is still notable in itself. That happens...infrequently. Can anyone think of a good comp?

His K/BB ratio has gone up as a starter! I can't imagine that happens, like ever.

He's also given up exactly 1 unearned run this year which is also notable, and may be something to consider in the AL Cy Young race (to which I have paid no attention).

There are plenty of interesting things to talk about when it comes to Sale, who is the ace on a surprising division leader. I don't think the post needs to be especially provocative to start a long or interesting thread.

I think this article was pretty interesting. Apparently Sale has taken a formely meh slider and turned it into a dominant pitch. Cooper deserves a lot of credit, but so does Sale obviously.

Can anyone think of a good comp?

CJ Wilson was much older, but he did it.

CJ Wilson was much older, but he did it.

Wilson is a good comp. The notable difference is that he's a lefty and I thought of him as something of a different pitcher than Sale. Which of course leads me to wonder how organizations identify these guys and if there are any common threads between them.

In the Fangraphs article I linked in 7 they also mention Lance Lynn and Jeff Samardzija. They all (Wilson, Lynn, Sale and Samardzija) throw sliders and changes (If you count Samardzija's splitter as a change of sorts). I guess that's a pitch combo that lets you attack hitters on both sides of the plate three times through the lineup.

The notable difference is that he's a lefty

Sale is, too.

Sale is, too.

So he is. I've watched him pitch a couple times, I'm not really sure why, or how, I got that mixed up.

I didn't realize how badly Lynn was doing since late July. An ERA over 7.50 and he's lost his rotation spot.

Fair enough, but Sale's transition from pretty good reliever to amazing starter is still notable in itself. That happens...infrequently.

Well, Sale was only relieving because he's young and the White Sox didn't want to put too much stress on his arm. He was always going to start eventually. Wilson is a better example of this as an older guy who was established as a reliever and nothing but (and not a particularly great one), who then transitioned to a very good starter.

Another phenom who was a reliever in the minors, a (bad) reliever in the majors at age 22-23, and a good starter in the majors at age 24-28 would be the 1001st best pitcher of all time, Dustin Hermanson. He was a right-hander with mostly fastballs and sliders at the time.

I have to say the Padres did a horrible job with that particular player development data point. #3 overall pick, out of college, in 1994. In May 1995 he's already in the big-league bullpen. He goes up and down between AAA and San Diego for the rest of 1995. In AAA bullpen for all of 1996, then brought up in August. Gives up 15 runs in 8 relief appearances (13.2 innings).

Then in November 1996 the Padres give up on him and trade him for Quilvio Veras. Quilvio Veras was obviously a very promising player at the time, but come on, San Diego, this guy was the NUMBER THREE OVERALL PICK.

Then the Marlins flip him for Cliff Floyd, a good trade for both teams. April 22, 1997 he makes his first start for the Expos and he spends the next four years in their rotation.

The highlight of this season so far was watching the Dodgers/White Sox game when Chris Sale pitched, with Vin Scully calling the game. Scully referred to him as "Bones".

The nickname that seems to be gaining traction is Condor.

This blog post appears to be saying absolutely nothing beyond, "Chris Sale has a good FIP."

That's not what a FIP Code is.