Shane Smith Joins Chris Sale In Chicago White Sox History Through First 10 Career Starts

Entering Wednesday's start against the Mets, Shane Smith is in rare White Sox company.

Smith's 2.36 ERA is the lowest by a White Sox pitcher in his first 10 career starts since Chris Sale's 2.33 ERA in 2012. Smith is fourth in that category since 1967 behind Sale, Jerry Nyman in 1968-69 (1.94 ERA) and Cisco Carlos in 1967-68 (1.21 ERA).

Sale went on to make his first All-Star appearance in 2012 and finish sixth in American League Cy Young voting with a 3.05 ERA across 192 innings. That marked the start of a seven-year stretch where Sale finished between second and sixth in AL Cy Young voting and made the All-Star game each season – five with the White Sox and two with the Red Sox.

Due to injuries, Sale pitched just 48.1 innings from 2020-22. But in his first season with the Atlanta Braves in 2024, he won his first Cy Young award while also making the All-Star team, winning the Gold Glove and finishing seventh in NL MVP voting with a 2.38 ERA in 177.2 innings.

The White Sox used a first-round pick on Sale in 2010, but Smith was more of an under-the-radar find. After beginning his career with the Milwaukee Brewers organization, Smith became the No. 1 pick in December's Rule 5 Draft. That's made for somewhat of an unexpected success story, given the history of Rule 5 Draft selections.

"When it’s his turn in the rotation, I think we all look forward to that day," White Sox general manager Chris Getz said in April. "And that just says a lot to what he’s doing as a Rule 5 pick coming into this league and having initial success."

Among MLB pitchers with at least 50 innings, Smith ranks 12th in ERA (2.36), 20th in opponents average against (.206) 29th in WHIP (1.11) and 35th in wins above replacement (1.2), per FanGraphs. That puts him in the early conversation for American League Rookie of the Year, as Smith ranks top three in ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, opponents average and home runs per nine innings among rookie pitchers with at least 30 innings.