The New York Yankees have had a bountiful number of outstanding pitchers in their glorious past stretching back more than a hundred years. Pitchers like Whitey Ford, Red Ruffing, Lefty Gomez, Ron Guidry, Mariano Rivera, and a multitude of others. This offseason the New York Yankees wanted to add to that list with their next great pitcher, Gerrit Cole.
Cole landed the most lucrative contract for a major league starting pitcher. The Yankees will shell out $324 million over the next nine years for his pitching prowess. The Yankees wanted him so badly they sent Yankee General Manager Brian Cashman, Manager Aaron Boone, pitching coach Matt Blake and an ace, in the hole, Cole’s childhood idol, New York Yankee Andy Pettitte to California to snag him. They showered him with gifts, including a personal touch with bottles of he and his wife Amy’s favorite wine. But did they get the best starting pitcher in the New York market?
Some might say the best is the Mets Jacob deGrom. For those that believe that they have a good argument and they might correct. For those that believe Gerrit Cole is the best starter, including this writer, we have an equally good case, for both of these arms are among the best to pitch in modern baseball.
Probably the main reason there could be a good argument, either way, is because of the hitting lineup that backs him up. The Yankees most certainly have a more potent lineup than the New York Mets. And for Gerrit Cole, his Astros lineup was near equal to the quality of the Yankees. We will leave the Astros cheating debate out of this debate. The stronger, the lineup the better the pitcher’s stats will be. So this is a debatable area of discussion. But looking solely at the stats Gerrit Cole is far superior to deGrom.
So let’s look at the stats. Cole was 35-10 and deGrom was 21-17 in the past two seasons. Cole with a 2.69 ERA and deGrom at 2.065. So with deGrom’s better ERA was Coles wider margin of wins because he had the bats behind him? That’s questionable.
Where the New York Yankees Gerrit Cole gains the advantage in being proclaimed the best New York starter is in the postseason where he has outperformed deGrom. deGrom in 2015 pitched in three postseason games for an ERA of 2.88. Gerrit Cole in seven games pitched to an ERA of 2.60. Cole in his ALDS appearances shines with an ERA of .079.
My main reason for believing Cole is the better pitcher going forward is that Cole has just gotten better and better with each year he pitched. In the past three years, he has gone from a winning percentage of .500, 750, and .800. deGrom in the past three years has trailed off, indicating his best years may be behind him. I am not discounting his two Cy Young Awards, but after all, they are against National League hitting. deGrom’s winning percentage has dropped in the past three years, from .600 to .579.
In a New Post survey conducted back in March, they queried 32 MLB executives asking them if salaries were equal, which would you prefer, Gerrit Cole or Jacob deGrom. Most all the executives said you’d be just fine with either. However, when pinned down, they gave the edge to Gerrit Cole 19-13.
Those same executives cited many of the same reasons as to why I go with Cole as well. His age, his stuff, his American League experience, his stats, and his postseason success. However, deGrom is not without his admirers. They cite his experience under the bright lights of New York, of which Cole has had none. His athleticism, his ability to repeat pitches, and four from this group cited the college shortstop deGrom’s natural skills.
deGrom has had more rest than Cole not playing in the postseason last year, but that could be outweighed by Cole not having to hit and run the bases. No matter who you pick as the best New York starting pitcher, it is beyond extremely close as to who is best. If this baseball season starts, the entire baseball world will be watching these pitching greats.
Below is a short video highlighting the best pitchers in spring training, including the New York Yankees Gerrit Cole and the New York Mets Jacob DeGrom.