Garrett Whitlock is impossible not to root for, but perhaps his biggest fan is a fellow Boston Red Sox pitcher.
Chris Sale, unsurprisingly, has been plenty dialed into how the Red Sox are doing this season. While some who are in the middle of Tommy John surgery rehab might just passively keep an eye on what is going on, it appears the Sox ace has intently following everything that's happening.
So, it's tough to miss the electric factory that is Whitlock.
He had just come off Tommy John rehab and was picked by the Red Sox in the Rule 5 Draft after the New York Yankees elected not to put him on the 40-man roster. Despite having never pitched above Double-A prior to this season, he's become a key part of a stellar Red Sox bullpen, pitching in high-leverage situations some nights but also having the length to pitch in long relief when needed.
“It’s been unbelievable. To watch him develop in the big leagues, it’s amazing,” Sale said Thursday afternoon ahead of the Red Sox's game against the Kansas City Royals. “To think that this guy -- I’ll just say it -- to think this guy was kind of given up on and we got him for nothing. And I don’t think he had pitched above (Double A). And for him to come here with the confidence he has. You’ve seen a couple slips and then he’s right back on track."
Sale is one of the game's elite pitchers, both stuff-wise and in terms of mental makeup. Both of those factors in Whitlock's game have gotten the southpaw's attention.
“The feel he has for his secondary pitches, the mentality he goes out to the mound with, is unbelievable,” Sale said. “Just talking with him, you can tell he’s got a good head on his shoulders and he’s in the right spot doing what he’s supposed to do. Watching his career unfold is going to be a fun thing to watch."
Sale, for his part, is inching closer to rejoining the Red Sox pitching staff, and expects to be a key figure for Boston down the stretch.
