Chris Sale

The Kelly's Heroes have 3 picks in the top 10 in the upcoming CPL draft. With the top 4 picks locks in draft we have a good idea who will be left when the Heros pick at 6th, 7th and 10th.

The Heroes are looking at Sale with either the 7th or 10th overall. Worry that he may be a RP but if that happens will be a closer on the upside. #1 CHW prospect.

1. Chris Sale, lhp Born: March 30, 1989 • B-T: L-L • Ht: 6-6 • Wt: 172 Drafted: Florida Gulf Coast, 2010 (1st round) • Signed by: Joe Siers

Background: Sale not only became the first player from the 2010 draft to reach the big leagues, but he also overpowered the likes of Joe Mauer and Jim Thome and finished the season closing games for a contender. His quick rise couldn't have been forseen when he came out of Lakeland (Fla.) High. The Rockies selected him in the 21st round of the 2007 draft, but he failed to attract interest from Florida's college powers and wound up at Florida Gulf Coast, which started its program in 2003. He got off to a rough start, with an awful fall ball season where his only usable pitch was his changeup. He worked out of the bullpen as a freshman, then lowered his arm slot that summer and improved the velocity and life on his pitches. He exploded as a prospect by ranking as the top talent in the summer Cape Cod League after his sophomore season, then went 11-0, 2.01 with 146 strikeouts in 103 innings last spring. Some clubs rated him as the best college pitching prospect in the 2010 draft, but teams also worried about his asking price, making him available to Chicago with the No. 13 overall pick. The White Sox adhere to MLB's bonus guidelines more than any club, and they signed Sale for the slot recommendation of $1.656 million—along with the promise that he'd get every opportunity to race through the minors. He made his big league debut on Aug. 6, faster than any draftee since the Reds' Ryan Wagner in 2003.

Scouting Report: Sale has the stuff and lanky build to be a facsimile of future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, throwing three plus pitches from a low three-quarters delivery. His fastball ranged from 90-95 mph with outstanding late life when he worked as a starter in college, and he averaged 96 mph coming out of the bullpen in the majors. He hit 100 mph three times in one game against the Royals. Chicago considered his changeup his best pitch when it drafted him—GM Ken Williams compares it to Mark Buehrle's—but he didn't use it much while working out of the bullpen. Sale used his slider more as a reliever, and it also played up, sitting in the high 80s and topping out at 90. That was important as his slider was questioned coming into the draft. His command is solid, though his arm angle leads to times when he doesn't stay on top of his pitches and leaves them up in the zone. Sale is unusually poised, capable of making adjustments on the fly and pitching out of trouble. It would have been understandable if he had arrived wide-eyed in the big leagues, but like a young Buehrle, he seemed oblivious of his surroundings. Some scouts wonder how durable Sale will be because of his skinny frame, arm action and low slot. He has no history of arm problems, however.

The Future: Despite his immediate impact on their bullpen, the White Sox plan on developing Sale as a starter. He'll get the chance to make their rotation out of spring training, though it's more realistic to expect him to open the season at Triple-A Charlotte. If he stays healthy, he has the stuff to be a frontline starter or a closer.