WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES

Cole was also drafted in the first round by the Yankees in 2008, but preferred to attend UCLA.Cole by all accounts had the best stuff of any available pitcher.  He throws a low-90s two-seam and mid-90s four-seam fastball.  The latter reaches the upper-90s and late in the season was reaching triple digits on occasion, even in the late innings.  He has two other pitches, an upper-80s slider and a change, that are both regarded as plus pitches.  He has a strong frame and a delivery that scouts regard as clean, according to Baseball America.  Cole generally throws strikes, but weak command within the strike zone led to him getting hit hard in some games during the 2011 season.  He finished with the highest ERA of any of UCLA’s regular pitchers and his peripheral numbers for the most part were also below the team average.  This was not a new development:  he also had the highest ERA among the team’s regular pitchers in 2010.  Pirates GM Neal Huntington, however, likes big pitchers with power arms.

The Pirates’ selection of Cole was a significant gamble.  His command was obviously more of a work in progress than would normally be expected from a pitcher from a major college taken first overall, and he may not reach the majors as quickly as would generally be expected.  The fact that he’s represented by Scott Boras added to the gamble, but he signed as expected at the last moment . . . or at least MLB delayed the announcement until midnight on August 15.  In a very large surprise, Cole signed a minor league contract, although the bonus was a team record $8M.

2012
A+:  5-1-0, 2.55 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 67.0 IP, 2.8 BB/9, 9.3 K/9
AA:  3-6-0, 2.90 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 59.0 IP, 3.5 BB/9, 9.2 K/9
AAA:  1-0-0, 4.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 6.0 IP, 1.5 BB/9, 10.5 K/9

The Pirates started Cole off at Bradenton and he had minimal difficulty there.  He moved up to Altoona at mid-season and had a little more trouble, mainly in the form of running up pitch counts a little too quickly.  His stuff was as expected, with a fastball sitting in the mid-90s and occasionally reaching 100, and a plus slider and change.  The main issue will continue to be his command, but he clearly made progress on it in 2012.  The Pirates moved him up to Indianapolis at the end of the season, no doubt to give him a chance to pitch in the International League playoffs.  His one regular season start got off to a shaky start, as the first three hitters he faced ended up scoring, but he settled down and pitched very well after that.  In his one playoff start, though, he got severely bombed.

Cole is still a work in progress, but he is making progress while still showing the outstanding stuff that made him the first overall pick.  He pitched well in spring training before being sent to AAA.  It’ll be a major upset, and disappointment, if he isn’t in the majors by mid-season.