With Chris Sale sidelined for the 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March, the Red Sox will be without their ace at least until summer of 2021. But with the success that Boston has found in top prospect Tanner Houck, the Red Sox may have not only their next ace, but their next Chris Sale.
I don't mean that figuratively either. Houck and Sale share extremely similar pitching deliveries, and it's hard to not notice that Houck has developed his delivery to mimic that of his teammate.
As we see from the Pitching Ninja, Rob Friedman, Houck is mechanically the righty version of Sale with subtle differences. Houck's fastball ranges between 92-96 mph and attacks hitters with an arsenal that includes a devastating slider and splitter. Much like Sale, Houck uses a similar three-quarter arm slot in his delivery to further articulate run on his fastballs and sliders to put away hitters.
Houck's sweeping slider is absolutely devastating to hitters. See for yourself as he uses the effective pitch to put away the first two batters here during his last start against the 2020 NL East Champs, Atlanta Braves:
We've seen this pitch before with Sale. The slider is what has made Sale so effective in the majors, and if Houck can further develop his and create as much break as Sale's, the Red Sox could have a deadly 1-2 combination of starters for opposing teams to face for the next few years. That is, if Sale makes a full recovery and is able to pitch like he has in previous seasons.
While Sale stands at a staggering 6-foot-6 and 186 pounds, Houck is a bit stockier. The righty is listed at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, and he clearly has more muscle mass in comparison to the lanky Sale. Why does this matter? Well, as we've seen with Sale, it could mean the longevity of the throwing arm. For years people have been anticipating that Sale would need surgery just from watching his "funky" windup. Ultimately, his elbow gave out and forced the ace to go under the knife earlier this year to repair his damaged UCL.
What does that mean for Houck? Developing him as the possible "Chris Sale 2.0" could mean similar injury risk for the young pitcher. But Tanner Houck is also not Chris Sale in that way, as his larger build could make his arm more capable of withstanding "Sale-like" mechanics. If Houck can master Sale's delivery while also adding his own variation to it, the Red Sox will find themselves with another ace-like pitcher to anchor the pitching staff for years to come.
It goes without saying that imitation is the highest form of flattery and that's the relationship between Tanner Houck and Chris Sale. With the historic success that Chris Sale has had in his 10-years in the majors, who's to blame him? Over the course of his career, Sale has bolstered 2007 strikeouts, 109 wins, 11.1 SO/9, and a respectable 3.03 ERA. Can Tanner Houck replicate those numbers? Time will only tell for the young pitcher.
In Houck's first 3 starts with the Red Sox, the rookie has posted a stellar record by going 3-0 with 21 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched. Houck has also matched Sale's career 11.1 SO/9 thus far. If Houck can maintain that outstanding SO/9 with his arm health, the Red Sox will find themselves in a great position to bolster their pitching staff with Chris Sale and Tanner Houck as the number 1 and 2 starters, respectively.
Comments