A co-worker asked me Sunday if he should go with a two-start Gerrit Cole or a one-start Sonny Gray in Fantasy Week 24 (Sept. 9-15). Playing it safe, I opted for Gray, citing his cupcake matchup at Minnesota. Cole had been lacking in innings recently, had been lacking in strikeouts from the beginning and had a scary matchup at Texas to open the week.
So naturally, that's when he turns in his best start of the season.
The innings were there, and of greater note, the strikeouts were there. His nine strikeouts in seven innings represented just the third time in 16 starts that he had more strikeouts than innings. I never doubted he could do it -- the guy throws 100 mph -- but with the Pirates encouraging him to pitch to contact, I wondered how long before we'd see it.
Cole will be a strikeout pitcher. With his stuff, it's inevitable. Encouraging him to pitch to contact keeps him in the strike zone, keeping his pitch count down, but once he masters efficiency, whether or not the batter makes contact on that third strike is just a matter of pitch sequence. Cole's performance Monday has me thinking he's reached that stage of his development.
Which has me thinking he's a big-time breakout candidate for next year. If he ends 2013 still in a developmental stage, he's a gamble, but if he shows clear signs of taking that next step, I'm all-in.