Gerrit Cole - The New Strasburg

Search

hacheman@therx.com
Staff member
Joined
Jan 2, 2002
Messages
139,160
Tokens
Gerrit Cole looks like the new Strasburg
By Keith Law

ESPN Insider
in.gif




UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole showed big league stuff Friday night, throwing six perfect innings before Georgia rallied in the seventh. Cole's performance, coupled with his size, athleticism and delivery, cemented his status as the top college arm in this draft -- and it illuminated many of the reasons he compares favorably to Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals.

<OFFER>

Cole came out throwing 92-94 early, mostly two-seamers, with an above-average slider at 86-89 and a plus-plus changeup -- I'm talking Clay Buchholz/Johan Santana good -- at 84-87. He has great arm speed on the changeup and the action on the pitch is somewhere between the fade on a normal changeup and the bore on a lively fastball. He has tremendous confidence in the pitch, running it in on right-handed batters' hands, using it 0-0 or doubling up on it. The slider was also sharp but he wasn't as consistent with it, particularly when trying to backdoor the pitch to left-handed hitters -- Georgia's first hit came on such a pitch, which hung slightly and ended up in the left-center gap.


Cole uses his lower half extremely well with a ton of torque created by the way he rotates his hips and a strong stride toward the plate (although he wasn't always landing cleanly, possibly a function of the mound's condition). He's cleaned up his arm action since he matriculated at UCLA; in high school and even early in his freshman year, his stride was shorter and his arm was very late, to the point where his lower half wasn't helping him generate velocity. He also turns his pitching hand over sooner, which is generally good for reducing stress on the shoulder. Cole's body also looks better, as he's stronger and more physically mature, while still maintaining his athleticism.


Given where Cole is now and where Anthony Rendon (who DH'd again tonight) is, there is absolutely no question in my mind who the No. 1 prospect is for this year's draft. It's Cole, and that was also the unanimous sentiment among scouts with whom I spoke at the game. Cole could easily have pitched in the big leagues with the stuff he showed Friday night.


I think it's reasonable to discuss the comparison of Cole to Strasburg, who was the top college pitcher in the 2009 draft and among the best we've ever seen. Both pitchers are listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds. Strasburg had more velocity, but not a lot more -- he'd sit 94-98 and touch 100, while Cole worked at 92-98 without touching anything over 98. Both featured above-average breaking balls; Strasburg's was more consistent than what Cole showed Friday. Cole has a far better changeup, and his changeup might even be better than Strasburg's breaking ball was at the time he was drafted.


Both could boast of track records of success, although Cole's came in a better conference, and in Cole's case the velocity was always there dating to high school, as opposed to Strasburg's sudden velocity spike when he got to San Diego State and improved his conditioning. As much as Strasburg was hyped and anticipated, Cole compares pretty favorably to him, and it's going to be hard for any team to pass on him at the top of this year's draft.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
1,106,902
Messages
13,439,426
Members
99,345
Latest member
08winlink
The RX is the sports betting industry's leading information portal for bonuses, picks, and sportsbook reviews. Find the best deals offered by a sportsbook in your state and browse our free picks section.FacebookTwitterInstagramContact Usforum@therx.com