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Gerrit Cole Exudes An Aura Of Dominance For Struggling New York Yankees

Apr. 30, 2021
Gerrit Cole Exudes An Aura Of Dominance For Struggling New York Yankees

The New York Yankees have performed well below expectations during the first month of the 2021 season even as Gerrit Cole has proven to be an indispensable asset. Every time the 30-year-old right-handed pitcher takes the mound, he exudes an aura of dominance. Cole’s unrelenting desire to win is always evident as some of his teammates are currently struggling with confidence and consistency.

Cole is a perfectionist when it comes to pitch execution. He has been far more demonstrative on the mound this season as he constantly strives for pinpoint accuracy with each of the four pitches in his repertoire. Cole is regularly seen in the dugout between innings immersed in animated conversations with catcher Kyle Higashioka and pitching coach Matt Blake. It is as if he is conducting a master class in the art of pitching between sips of Gatorade.

Given the conservative approach to managing starting pitchers in terms of innings limits and pitch counts, Cole is measured in a completely different manner. After four top five finishes in the Cy Young Award voting, the time has finally come for Cole to push through and demonstrate how his extraordinary value goes well beyond strikeouts. He intuitively knows when it is time to make subtle adjustments as he always holds himself to the highest of standards.

Cole struck out 11 batters over seven innings in his last start against the Cleveland Indians. After the ball game, the YES Network stated that Cole is the first pitcher in the history of the Yankees to have achieved at least 50 strikeouts and five or fewer base on balls over a period of five ball games. He is only the second pitcher for the Yankees to have at least 10 strikeouts while not allowing a base on ball in back-to-back starts since David Wells accomplished this feat in September 1998.

According to Stathead Baseball, Cole and Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals each have had 10 or more strikeouts in a ball game on 35 occasions between the 2018 season and Scherzer’s last start on April 27th to lead Major League Baseball. Cole’s 746 strikeouts are the most for a pitcher during this period as well. In his career, Cole has struck out at least 10 batters while not allowing a base on ball on 16 occasions. Three of them have occurred in Cole’s first five starts this season.

At a minimum, Cole has taken the mound in the sixth inning in each of his five starts to date and is averaging 102.4 pitches per game. According to Baseball-Reference.com, the Yankees have only been able to provide him with 3.2 runs support per game even as Cole has posted a 1.71 earned run average (ERA). Over 31.2 innings, Cole has surrendered six earned runs, five extra base hits, and three base on balls. After his last start against the Indians, Cole’s attention was focused on the seven batters out of the 24 he had faced who worked the count to three balls as he identified this as an area of improvement. It is worth noting that Cole had struck out four of the batters.

Cole’s outstanding start to the 2021 season is evident as he sits at or the near the top in several statistical categories. His effective management of striking out batters while preventing home runs, base on balls, and hit by pitches has allowed Cole to lead the American League with a miniscule 0.72 fielding independent pitching (FIP) based on qualified pitchers according to FanGraphs. While it might be premature to put great emphasis on this statistic after only a month of ball games, Cole is setting a tone that he is in complete control on the mound.

An impressive but overlooked accomplishment by Cole is the changes in on-base plus slugging (OPS) due to the number of times through the order in a ball game. According to Baseball-Reference.com, opponents are posting a .568 OPS in their first time through the order against Cole but see a significant decline in performance as the order turns over a second and third time. Opponents are only able to produce a .365 OPS during their second time against Cole but see a slight increase to .388 OPS during their third time in the order.

Cole’s 50 strikeouts have produced a 42% strikeout percentage which is the best in the American League among qualified pitchers according to FanGraphs. As 38 of Cole’s strikeouts have come from the first and second times through the order, the final 12 have occurred during the third time. Cole has struck out 19 batters in both the first and second times through the order.

A key observation is how Cole is using his changeup with greater regularity this season. During the abbreviated 2020 season, Cole threw 67 changeups over 73 innings which produced five strikeouts at an average velocity of 88.3 miles per hour according to Baseball Savant. Through 31.2 innings this season, Cole has already thrown 76 changeups which have led to 10 strikeouts at an average velocity of 88.9 miles per hour. Current data suggests Cole is using his changeup the most on 0-1 and 1-0 counts. Each count has seen 12 changeups from Cole this season.

Gerrit Cole is the embodiment of stability and excellence for the New York Yankees amid a disappointing start to the 2021 season. As he attempts to shed the distinction of being the best pitcher in baseball who has never won a Cy Young Award, Cole’s dominance is only second to his crosstown pitching rival, Jacob deGrom. Baseball fans in New York City are in the presence of pitching greatness and do not be surprised to see this year’s Cy Young Award winners represent the boroughs of the Bronx and Queens.


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