In case you’ve not noticed, Pirates righty Gerrit Cole has delivered on his promise — and then some — thus far in 2015. As things stand, he owns a 2.32 ERA with 9.5 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9 and a healthy 55.3% groundball rate. The 2011 first overall pick has, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes, justified Pittsburgh’s decision to take him over a host of other strong options (though Anthony Rendon, Jose Fernandez, and Sonny Gray — among others — could also ultimately stake a claim as the best player from that productive draft). Jayson Stark of ESPN.com says that Cole represents the complete package on the hill, and may have upside that is yet to be fully tapped.
Here are some more stray links from around the game:
- The Yankees plan to keep utilizing Stephen Drew despite his lackluster batting line, as Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports. Skipper Joe Girardi, who has deployed Drew around the infield, says that the quality of his at-bats have not yet shown up in terms of results but that a turnaround could be forthcoming. Lacking clear solutions up the middle, it makes good sense for the Yankees to give Drew every chance to succeed. If nothing else, as Feinsand notes, his quality defense makes him a useful utility player even if New York were to make an addition at the trade deadline.
- ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (Insider link) looks at the Athletics and where things could be headed for the club this summer. Despite the rough start, there are signs of promise, and the division could still be within reach. If a return to competitiveness is not forthcoming, however, Olney suggests that the club could market not only Ben Zobrist and Scott Kazmir, but also catcher Stephen Vogt. While Vogt is still going to be cheap for some time, that same fact — combined with positional scarcity and his outstanding production thus far (third in the league in both wRC+ and fWAR) — could make him quite an interesting trade piece. While Olney makes clear that he is just speculating, it is certainly an intriguing idea, and one that we can’t put past the always-creative Billy Beane.
It’s been Two years since Drew made an Offensive contribution, he’s finished. His Bat speed has slowed to be productive at Major League Level.
Stephen Drew is the only back-up plan at shortstop right now. Brendan Ryan is on his way back but even then, Drew is probably still the better option. At least he has occasional power.
When will this false rhetoric or Drew providing “quality defense” die? It simply isn’t true. Here are the numbers:
Drew has a -1.6 UZR in 212 innings at 2B this year.
Drew had a -3.9 UZR in 274 innings at 2B last year.
He is a plus defender at SS only. He has only played 57 innings at SS this year. Most of his playing time has been at 2B, in which, as the numbers prove, he is a sub par fielder.
So, no offensive value, no defensive value… yet still getting starter playing time. Why?
Neil Huntington has stuck to the strategy of drafting the best player available (with the exception of Tony Sanchez) and back in 2011, Cole was regarded as the safest pitcher to draft over Trevor Bauer, Dylan Bundy and Danny Hultzen. Both Rendon and Gray fell over injury concerns.
The case of Danny Hultzen really shows how difficult it is to ace MLB draft picks over the sports.
I think out of Hultzen Walker and Paxton in the M’s system, I think Hultzen had the most upside but now has injuries.