MLB Network uses a tool called “The Shredder” to determine the rankings of starting pitchers for the upcoming season, and this time around, New York Yankees newly signed ace, Gerrit Cole, landed in the No. 3 overall spot.
The top three are as follows:
1.) Jacob deGrom
2.) Justin Verlander
3.) Gerrit Cole
The New York Yankees can’t catch a projections break:
While some might agree with these rankings, I believe Cole should be rated ahead of Verlander, if not just overtaking deGrom for the top spot. However, deGrom is a worthy competitor and should be rated neck-and-neck with the $324 million-dollar man.
Cole, who earned career-highs in strikeouts (326) and ERA (2.50) in 2019, will enter his first season with the Yankees at 29-years-old. His AL-best 2.64 FIP and MLB-best 13.8 K/9 indicates further dominance, and “The Shredder” projects him to earn a 14-6 record, 3.24 ERA, 1.065 WHIP, and 247:53 K:BB ratio across 186 innings.
With the return of Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar in 2020, 14-wins seems a bit conservative, especially since the Bombers reached 103-wins last season. Cole is their ace, with Luis Severino and James Paxton filling the No. 2-3 spots, but the projections imposed on the new addition might be affected by Yankee Stadium, a place where pitchers often need time to adapt to.
My primary question here is: Why is Justin Verlander in second place?
At 37-years-old, it’s questionable to place him ahead of Cole, who’s almost a decade younger. Baseball-Reference projects Verlander to earn a 15-7 record, 3.12 ERA, 0.995 WHIP, and 238:37 K:BB ratio across 193 innings. Interestingly, Verlander ranked at the No. 5 pitcher in the league ahead of the 2019 season, and his massive jump this year is directly correlated to a second-consecutive World Series appearance.
With the Bombers boasting one of the best hitting orders in the league, the run support they will offer Cole will be significant, making the six losses a bit unrealistic. His improvement over the last two seasons should indicate a trend, as his ERA dropped from 2.88 in 2018 to 2.50 in 2019. If he continues this movement, the projections will be far off.
Comment below if you think Cole should be rated higher or lower in these projections!