1st Overall: Pirates Select RHP Gerrit Cole-UCLA
By Aaron Somers
After dozens of mock drafts and weeks of deliberating the pick is in, and the Pirates have selected Gerrit Cole. I’m proud to say that we here at Seedlings to Stars, had him going first in our very own mock draft. In 2011 Cole threw 114.1 innings, and went 6-8 with an 3.31 ERA. The stats for Cole don’t necessarily paint his picture, but these are his record for three years in college.
2009: 85.0 IP, 3.49 ERA, 104 SO, 38 BB
2010: 123.0 IP, 3.37 ERA, 153 SO, 52 BB
2011: 114.1 IP 3.31 ERA, 119 SO, 24 BB
The experts went back and forth between Cole and Anthony Rendon, an infielder from Rice. Interestingly enough after the Pirates picked Cole; Rendon fell to the sixth pick.
The Stuff:
According to reports Cole can hit 100 on his fastball regularly, but sits in the mid 90’s. Cole has a solid change-up and a very good slider. This season with UCLA, Cole picked up 119 strikeouts and in most cases the slider is his strike-out pitch. Cole is built like a power pitcher, listed by UCLA at 6’4 220, he looks like a professional athlete. He certainly has the physical make-up to make it in the big leagues.
On the Inside:
Cole is known as a very emotional athlete, if you have any questions regarding that, take a look at the YouTube video of him crying after a College World Series loss. In 2008 the right-hander was selected number 28 by the New York Yankees, but was unable to strike a deal. Although Cole will certainly make more money as the number one overall pick, you think he would have been better off professionally starting as a Yankee. As a Scott Boras client, it will be interesting to see how high his deal will get.
Delivery:
I don’t pretend to be a major league scout, therefore I am certainly no expert on delivery Scout.com has a very good description of his mechanics.
"Gerrit Cole’s delivery does the job. He uses his lower body effectively and gets some great hip rotation. But, what’s currently hurting his command is his front side. He’s landing much too firmly on his front side because he’s consistently jumping off his back leg a little early."
The Downside?
Three plus-potential pitches, decent control, and good mechanics make up this solid athlete. Cole certainly embodies all the qualities scouts look for in a pitcher. Some tweaks to his delivery may be all he needs to really be a dominant starter.
As a Pirate:
No pick is ever a sure thing, but Cole’s ceiling is very high. In an organization full of outstanding prospects, Gerrit Cole should rise to the top. Many have compared him to Stephen Strasburg, purely on that comparison I wouldn’t look for the Pirates to rush him to the pros. We will certainly keep you updated on his movement through the minors.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For more on Gerrit Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates, head over to Rum Bunter.