Gerrit Cole, the Yankees' new ace pitcher and last season's runner up for the AL Cy Young Award, has been ranked among the Top 10 starting pitchers in baseball by MLB Network's The Shredder.
The 29-year-old, who signed a record nine-year, $324 million contract with the Yankees in the offseason, was one of the best pitchers in the game in 2019, posting a 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts in 212.1 innings pitched for the Astros.
The Shredder placed Cole at No. 3, just behind NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom and AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander.
Here's the full list:
Jacob deGrom, New York Mets
Justin Verlander, Houston Astros
Gerrrit Cole, New York Yankees
Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
Hyun-jin Ryu, Toronto Blue Jays
Zack Greinke, Houston Astros
Jack Flaherty, St. Louis Cardinals
Patrick Corbin, Washington Nationals
Mike Clevinger, Cleveland Indians
Walker Buehler, Los Angeles Dodgers
Cole seemingly came out of nowhere, sitting with a 4-5 record mid-way through last May. Then, he did not lose another game in 2019, ripping off 16 straight wins to reach 20 for the first time in his career.
His 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts led the MLB, and his continued his dominance well into the postseason. Cole went 4-1 in five appearances against the likes of the Rays, Yankees and Nationals, and finished with a 1.72 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 37.2 innings pitched.
Now as a member of the Yankees, Cole will not only try to secure an AL Cy Young Award or two over the next nine years, but also a World Series title to go with it. The Yankees are currently the favorites to win the 2020 World Series now that Cole is on board.
