Gerrit Cole’s first start for the Altoona Curve will be tonight after his promotion last week. The Curve are at home (this is surely not a coincidence) against the Twins’ Double-A affiliate, the New Britian Rock Cats. Cole, as you’re likely aware, was quite good with Advanced-A Bradenton this year. In 13 starts with the Marauders, Cole threw 67 innings, struck out 69 batters, had a 2.55 ERA, and allowed just five homers and 53 total hits in those 67 innings. He’s also only walked 21 hitters, which puts his WHIP at 1.10. Cole’s been even better after a semi-rough start; in his last nine starts, he’s given up more than two runs just once and he’s collected all five of his wins as he’s pitched either five or six innings in all nine starts.
Of course, you’d expect a college pitcher drafted first overall to do well in Single-A. The two guys drafted immediately after him, Danny Hultzen and Trevor Bauer, both started this year in Double-A and have put up impressive numbers there. The Pirates tend to take a more cautious track with their pitching prospects and that’s fine (ultimately, I’d guess that Hultzen and Cole will reach the Majors around the same time, and the fact that both of them will get there after Bauer is something that you could’ve predicted last June before the draft even began), but it does mean that I’m much more interested in what Cole does on the mound in the Eastern League than I was when he was in the Florida State League. Cole was good in Bradenton, but we’re going to learn much more about him as a prospect in Altoona.
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