Pirates pitching prospect Jameson Taillon had some nice things to say about Gerrit Cole.
"I wasn't surprised by [Cole's success]," Taillon said. "I thought he was ready, and there's no spot too big for him. It didn't really shock me that he was doing so well." Taillon said he watched nearly every start Cole made last season.
Cole posted a 3.22 ERA in 117 1/3 innings last year.
Taillon enters the year in a similar situation. While he should start the year in the minors, he's expected to make his major-league debut at some point during the regular season. He's coming off a season in which he posted a 3.73 ERA in 147 1/3 innings across two levels.