Chris Sale & Garrett Whitlock: Two Pitchers Who Might Define The 2023 Red Sox

Chris Sale and Garrett Whitlock have both been members of the Boston Red Sox organization for the last three years. And yet, nearly a full month into this season, we as fans still have absolutely no idea what to expect out of either one of them. For both pitchers, the range of outcomes starts with a sad, injury-plagued, negative-WAR season on one end, and stretches all the way to a top-10 finish in the Cy Young voting on the other.

In Chris Sale, we have a pitcher whose career has been defined by his historically great stuff. But now, he’s not only trying to stay healthy for the first time since Cornona was a just a beer, but he’s also trying to learn how to get hitters out without one of the most lethal fastball-slider combinations of all-time. In Garrett Whitlock, we have a pitcher whose career has been defined by false starts, injuries, and uncertain roles, but one whose promise has always been evident.

It’s quite possible that the fate of the Red Sox season rests on the literal shoulders of these two pitchers. Thankfully, both of them came out with statement starts this past week, with Whitlock becoming the first Red Sox starter to hit the 7-inning mark against the Angels, and then Sale striking out 11 Minnesota Twins batters a couple days later. Now that we’ve seen what they’re capable of, what can we expect out of them over the rest of the season, and which one will be the more productive pitcher in 2023?

That’s one of the things that Dan and Bryan discussed on this week’s Monsters Of Sox Podcast. They also:

• Revisited a disappointing offseason and wondered how Corey Kluber was the only starting pitcher acquisition;
• Discussed whether it’s time to jump on the Jarren Duran hype train; and
• Interviewed Bryan’s brother about what it was like to run the Boston Marathon on Monday.

As always, thanks for listening.