Gerrit Cole Scouting Report

Gerrit Cole has been drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and is expected to sign.

This is Part 2 in a series previewing 12 potential players for the Orioles’ #4 overall selection in the 2011 draft. The full series:

1. Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice
2. Gerrit Cole, RHP, UCLA
3. Danny Hultzen, LHP, Virginia
4. Sonny Gray, RHP, Vanderbilt
5. Jed Bradley, LHP, Georgie Tech
6. Bubba Starling, OF, Gardner-Edgerton HS, Kan.
7. Francisco Lindor, SS, Montverde Academy HS, Fla.
8. Trevor Bauer, RHP, UCLA
9. Dylan Bundy, RHP, Owasso HS, Okl.
10. George Springer, OF, Connecticut
11. Taylor Guerrieri, RHP, Spring Valley HS, S. Car.
12. Archie Bradley, RHP, Broken Arrow HS, Okl.

Gerrit Cole is an aggressive right hander with the ability to work both sides of the plate. He provides an effective, mature, physical presence with a solid four pitch arsenal.

School: UCLA
Position: RHP
Throws: Right
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 215-220
Body: Big framed and physically mature. Athletic with slightly filled out upper torso and lower half.  Looks the part from day one. Broad shoulders with long limbs and could still fill out a bit more overall in time.  I see a guy that is 230-235 on the mound by the late 20’s; think Curt Schilling with the Phillies or Kevin Millwood with the Braves.

Fastball

Cole mixes the four seam and two seam fastballs. His four seam fastball will top out at 99-98 mph and sits within the 93-96 mph range.  He has some heavy sink to it, but sometimes it comes out flat.  He prefers to pitch with the two seam fastball that shows a bit of life, which comes out a few ticks lower in the 91-94 mph range.  This two seam fastball has some sink, but the pitch does not stay in place and makes it an effective ride in on the hands for right handed hitters.

Changeup

Cole’s changeup is the pitch that makes him the top pitcher on the board in the 2011 draft.  He is already so effective with the change up he could start in a major league rotation today.  He throws a circle change in the 84-86 mph range that has a late fade action running in on right handers.  The movement makes it difficult to square up on and it’s difficult for hitters to take an effective swing.  His action is amazingly similar to the fastball with almost identical slots, arm speeds, and delivery, but the ball comes out 10-12 mph slower with solid movement.

Slider

His slider has moments that make it an above average pitch.  I have seen times where his slider will easily be a strike out pitch with a tight action away.  Other times it might sweep and leave the seats being a very hittable pitch.  I think the potential for it to maintain the tight two plane break makes it a solid pitch in his arsenal.  Cole’s slider sits in the 88-90 mph range and sometimes reaches up to 92 mph.  The speed and movement can makes this a difficult adjustment with his other two pitches riding in the other direction. If he can maintain the tightness that I witnessed at times, this could make him an even more dangerous pitcher on the mound.

Curveball

Cole threw his curveball extensively in the high school prep circuit.  It had a very similar slot as the fastball when he was younger, and was a drop off the table type 12/6 curveball that sat in the 79-81 mph range. I do not see this pitch as much as he  focuses more on the slider and changeup as secondary pitches off his fastball.  His curve had shown some promise a few seasons ago and it is in his repertoire, but whether teams want him to use it is a different story.

Mechanics

Gerrit Cole is an aggressive right hander with the ability to work both sides of the plate. He provides an effective, mature, physical presence with a solid four pitch arsenal.

There were some slight hiccups with Cole’s mechanics in 2008, which made teams pause about selecting the high school pitcher with his potential. But overall, he has greatly improved since high school.

Cole’s loading phase is still a bit too long, but nothing that makes you pause for concern.  I doubt anyone wants to tweak it and it has greatly improved over the years. His hand placement on the loading phase is solid and does not place any unwanted stress on the shoulder.  As he transitions phases, the elbows are ever so slightly elevated above the shoulder, but it is still a clean transition that is not reaching beyond limits that start to exert additional pressure on the shoulder.  The glove side is not tucked, but rather kept out in front of the body slightly.  He does a good job of keeping his shoulder square throughout and it starts with the glove out in front of the body.

He possesses a strong push, solid stride and hip rotation that produce a powerful drive from the lower half; he slightly crosses his lower half and comes from a closed position.  Combine the slight cross with a square shoulder upper body and it gives him a tremendous amount of torque and his core will become integral for his success. Cole’s plant can be slightly stiff at times, but overall he presents a better knee flexion over the years on a consistent basis.  I would like to see him follow through more and extend his release point, as this would keep him on top of the ball.

Command and Control

With rather exceptional command, Cole has the ability to hit the mitt with multiple pitches, speeds and locations, making him a very dangerous pitcher.  His command of the changeup off of the fastball should make him a quality pitcher in the majors.  He has shown the ball to trend up in the zone over the last month and his control could improve.  When he keeps the ball down in the zone it has not been a fair fight for the PAC-10 lineups.

Cole is easily the best pitcher in the 2011 draft class, a potential ace in a major league rotation, and an All-Star in the making.

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This is Part 2 in a series previewing 12 potential players for the Orioles’ #4 overall selection in the 2011 draft. The full series:

1. Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice
2. Gerrit Cole, RHP, UCLA
3. Danny Hultzen, LHP, Virginia
4. Sonny Gray, RHP, Vanderbilt
5. Jed Bradley, LHP, Georgie Tech
6. Bubba Starling, OF, Gardner-Edgerton HS, Kan.
7. Francisco Lindor, SS, Montverde Academy HS, Fla.
8. Trevor Bauer, RHP, UCLA
9. Dylan Bundy, RHP, Owasso HS, Okl.
10. George Springer, OF, Connecticut
11. Taylor Guerrieri, RHP, Spring Valley HS, S. Car.
12. Archie Bradley, RHP, Broken Arrow HS, Okl.