The Pirates can’t afford to lose Gerrit Cole this season

If there’s one player the Pirates can’t afford to lose this season, it certainly has to be Gerrit Cole.

Injuries are a huge part of any sport. Everyday, we see a new athlete get placed on the shelf while their particular team battles to find a way to temporarily replace him in the lineup or on the roster. It is essential for athletes to stay healthy, but for baseball players specifically, it is sometimes difficult for your body to hold up throughout a long 162-game season. For the Pittsburgh Pirates, it is essential, specifically for their star players, to avoid injuries. However, a healthy Gerrit Cole will be integral to the long-term success of the club in 2016.

Since making his major league debut in June of 2013, Cole has been a consistent weapon within the Pirates starting rotation. The former first overall pick has improved mightily over the years and has established himself as a legitimate ace for a Pittsburgh team that won 98 games last season. Cole was a major part of the Pirates success in 2015. The 25-year-old, who finished fourth in National League Cy Young Award voting last season, posted a 19-8 record with a 2.60 ERA while striking out 202 batters in 208 innings pitched. Cole also held opposing hitters to a .239 batting average, posted a quality start in 25 of his 32 outings, and led all Pirates pitchers with a 4.5 wins above replacement (WAR).

When it came to trying to determine who the Pirates could not afford to lose to injury this year, it was a difficult decision. The organization has a lot of depth and young players in waiting, but there are certainly still some players that they can’t afford to lose to long-term health issues.

When you look at a guy like Andrew McCutchen, you might think that he is an obvious choice. He is a franchise player and the Pirates best offensive weapon. However, the Pirates depth in the outfield would help if Cutch was unable to remain healthy for a period of time. The Pirates have major league ready players who could be capable of filling in, including newly signed Matt Joyce, who is a non-roster invite to spring training, Mike Morse, and even John Jaso, who has played 16 career games in the outfield and could be used in an emergency situation.

The Pirates also have an abundance of young outfielders including Willy Garcia and Danny Ortiz, who are likely to begin the 2016 season in AAA Indianapolis. Obviously, the best case scenario is for McCutchen to also stay healthy. The team is at it’s best with him in the lineup, however, the Pirates do have depth that could possibly help cope with his loss.

When it comes to Gerrit Cole, he has proven to be extremely valuable to the Pirates pitching staff. In 2016, he will likely be even more valuable with the departures of veteran right-handers A.J. Burnett and Charlie Morton. Left-handers Francisco Liriano and Jeff Locke are also returning to the rotation this season, but Jon Niese and Ryan Vogelsong will be new additions for the new year. Though Liriano has proven to be a reliable ace in the past, losing Cole would be devastating.

I personally would have liked to see the front office do more to strengthen the starting rotation, however, the possible 2016 arrival of top pitching prospect Tyler Glasnow could help as well. The Pirates would likely not see him in a major league uniform until midway through the season, and if Cole were to go down with an injury early on, the bottom four guys in the rotation would have to step up big time to manage without their ace.

Within the last week, Gerrit Cole has already experienced setbacks dealing with rib inflammation. He has since returned to the mound and has resumed pitching, but this had people holding their breath since spring training games have yet to even begin. He has been a huge part of the Pirates three consecutive postseason appearances, and despite a lackluster performance in the 2015 National League Wild Card Game, he is only going to get better.

Despite a lack of key, big name off-season acquisitions, the Pirates do have a lot of talent returning to the diamond in 2016. The hopes also remain high that their new additions can make an impact as well. However, Cole has evolved into a legitimate ace that can’t be replaced. With the Cubs and Cardinals loading up this off-season, it is crucial for the Pirates’ stars, including Cole and McCutchen, to stay healthy and help the team keep pace in the competitive National League Central Division.

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