Should The Yankees Be Worried Gerrit Cole Sucks Without Spider Tack?
Karma is a bitch isn’t it? Nobody cried more about the Astros cheating scandal than Yankee fans. Turns out their own mouths have now ruined their own $324 million investment. With MLB cracking down on the sticky stuff, it would appear Gerrit Cole isn’t close to the same pitcher he has been over the last few years. Should the Yankees be worried Gerrit Cole sucks without spider tack?
Cole was torched for a six spot this weekend against the Red Sox which resulted in a three game sweep for Boston. Cole’s spin rate has been at an all time worse since dating back to when he was a Pirate. Kike Hernandez, Rafael Devers, and JD Martinez took him deep in his previous start. Cole’s ERA in June since MLB started cracking down on the sticky stuff? A whooping 4.65 which is his worst month since… he was a Pirate in 2017. His average spin rate (2,398 rpm) was his lowest since July 2018.
We don’t necessarily have to jump the gun here but the obvious has to be said. Cole was cheating. I personally don’t care. I didn’t care when the Astros cheated. I don’t care if Cole wants to throw some gunk on the baseball. However, it’s a hilarious paradox when the franchise that did the most crying is now in the biggest shit storm. There’s a distinct possibility that Cole won’t come close to the same pitcher he was when he was rattling off 20 wins in a row. In fact, I’ll come out and say that guy is gone, gone.
I don’t say I told you so, but I told you so. Trey’s best sport is baseball. Mostly because the rest of the people that watch baseball don’t have a single clue about the intricacies in the sport. Once upon a time, I tried to tell you DJ LeMahieu was better than Manny Machado. You didn’t want to listen to me. That’s okay.
Once again, you didn’t want to listen to me. I was mocked, chuckled, and laughed at for suggesting that Zack Wheeler was the significantly better bargain on the free agent market. At the time, I didn’t necessarily know what black magic Cole was using during his time with the Astros but it was no secret he improved dramatically since ditching the Pirates uniform. It turns out spider tack was the trick.
The funniest part is not only is Wheeler the better pitcher (like I said he was) Cole’s contract now looks worse than ever because the guy the Yankees signed is probably gone. They gave $324 million the Pirates version of Cole without Spider Tack. The same Cole that had a 4.26 ERA in 2017. The same Cole that will be under contract through his age 39 season. The Cole contract was always a mistake. You just didn’t want to listen to me.
Through 2020-21:
Gerrit Cole: 174.2 IP, 2.73 ERA, 223 K, 154 ERA+, 3.33 FIP
Zack Wheeler: 177.1 IP, 2.49 ERA, 183 K, 166 ERA+, 2.71 FIP
Gerrit Cole – 9 years, $324M
Zack Wheeler – 5 years, $118M
Those numbers on Cole likely will continue to come back to reality (or where they were when he was a Pirate). Wheeler, of course, has had no problems adjusting to the new rules (because he’s more talented as I’ve been saying for years). Wheeler just threw seven scoreless innings against the first place Mets.
Gerrit Cole doesn’t suck. In fact, he’s a very good pitcher. We just have to readjust his new reality. The guy we saw in Pittsburgh. The same guy New York was unwilling to trade Miguel Andujar and or Clint Frazier for. Cole will eventually figure it out and stabilize but his elite form is gone. The only thing we know for sure is the Yankees are stuck with an albatross contract for a player who’s no longer worth elite money (and never was).
