The Demise of Gerrit Cole
Cole is the worst pitcher in baseball.
He conned the New York Yankees and is laughing his way to the bank. Okay, a bit of hyperbole. But, right now, he certainly is not worth the $324 million contract the Yankees gave him. Nor is he the ace they hoped would lead them to their 28th championship title.
With Major League Baseball cracking down on the use of “sticky substances” Cole’s lackluster performance has been at the center of every baseball fan’s concerns. Surprisingly, Cole was fairly transparent about his dependence on the now-infamous “spider tack”. His vulnerability foreshadowed his decreasing performance. While he may be correct in saying pitchers need some substances to grip the ball, he is arguably the only elite pitcher struggling to adapt.
Cole is statistically not performing at the level he was at prior to MLB’s crackdown. (Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
Whispers of the crackdown began in early June. On June 3, Cole’s demise began. Facing the Tampa Bay Rays, he gave up five runs in five innings, walking two and striking out seven. Okay, not a terrible start. Not an ace-level start but everyone has a mediocre start every so often. Then, in his next start, facing the opinionated Josh Donaldson and the Minnesota Twins, he silenced the haters. Six innings, two runs, no walks, and nine strikeouts. And silenced we all were. He pitched comparably in his next two starts, only raising eyebrows at his low strikeout totals. But then, the wheels started to come off.
Facing the juggernaut offense of the Boston Red Sox on June 27, he pitched five innings, and allowed five runs on eight hits, while striking out six. Closer examination shows that he was getting hit even harder than his line would suggest. For example, a Hunter Renfroe opposite-field out had an exit velocity of 95.7 miles per hour. A Xander Bogaerts out had a 99.2 miles per hour exit velocity. Worse, his breaking pitches (most dependent on the use of sticky substances) were getting crushed. Alex Verdugo hit a change-up for a double with an exit velocity of 105.5 miles per hour. J.D. Martinez hit a knuckleball for a home run to dead center with an exit velocity of 101.6 miles per hour. Cole still holds a season-long exit velocity of 89.3 miles per hour, but those averages are only going to increase at this rate.
Cole’s ultimate demise finally came on Sunday, July 4. With the Yankees desperately in need of a win against their cross-town rivals, the New York Mets, Cole had his worst outing in nearly five years. Cole lasted three and one-third innings, gave up four runs on six hits, and walked three. And again, his outs were just as blistering as his hits. Pete Alonso hit a slider at 105.7 miles per hour at one point. Nothing is coming easy for Cole right now, even his outs.
Cole being inspected for sticky substances that may have helped his historic numbers in the past. (Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post)
One argument for Cole could be the summertime. Historically, offenses come alive in the summer. Maybe Cole is just a victim of a heatwave. Maybe it’s a psychological thing. Perhaps he never needed the sticky substances, but now just feels he does and is overcompensating. Either way, neither argument holds much water. Cole was paid to overcome any superstitions, and he was paid to beat elite offenses. With an ERA of over five since the crackdown, Cole needs to overcome his demons, and pitch like the ace the Yankees paid for. Otherwise, the Yankees will be paying for a number three starter for the next seven years.