Yes, I did consider how one of my schmohawks (Rafael Devers overrated) will be excellent against my other schmohawk, Gerrit Cole. Sadly, for Rafael Devers, he will have to face more than one pitcher this year (in theory, at least). But fortunately for Gerrit Cole, he will face more than one hitter. As my Jewish grandmother would’ve said, mazel tov. After she said, “Oy, it’s cold in here.” Last year, Gerrit Cole went 8-5/3.41/1.13/99 in 95 IP. He missed up until June 19th with nerve inflammation in his elbow. That was from March 1st thru then, for those completists. Hilariously (depending on your definition), on February 15th, he told the press, “(I) need to find ways to stay healthy this year.” With that kind of jinxing, luckily he didn’t say he needs to stay alive. This post isn’t just about his elbow and how he said he wants to rehab vs. having Tommy John surgery. I mean, it kinda all hangs on that, but it’s not only about that. If he returned with solid results, I would avoid drafting him, but wouldn’t bother writing this post. The results of his pitching and that people are still drafting him at 60th overall (absolutely nutzoid) is why we’re here. So, what can we expect from Gerrit Cole for 2025 fantasy baseball and what makes him overrated?
Well, Gerrit Cole overrated, because he’s not good anymore. Please, just feast your eyes on this:
That is rancid. That’s this yogurt I just found in the back of my refrigerator that expired in Y2K. So sad. But seriously that Statcast is terrible, but, wait! It gets worse! Look at what he did only one year earlier:
If that’s how he still looked when he returned, I’d be mum about the overrated stuff. I’d be Queen Mum of Angola. Call me Momgola. Gerrit Cole used to be overrated because I — keyword I — didn’t want to draft a starter early. Now he’s overrated because what on earth happened to him?
Well, we know, his elbow. Listen, I get it, he’s 34 and didn’t want to have Tommy John. Of course, he didn’t. He didn’t want to try to fight back at 36 years of age. I don’t blame him, but that doesn’t mean we have to draft him. This isn’t like some of the other guys returning, like, Robbie Ray or Sandy Alcantara or others. This is a guy who was injured, and might still be injured.
His fastball was down a full mile per hour; his cutter was a mess, and kinda unusable; his slider’s BAA went from .186 BAA to .222; his K/9 is now 9.4 and his BB/9 was 2.75. Put on a helmet, because I’m about to blow your mind — Those stats are basically Sean Manaea’s. Maybe Gerrit Cole can stave off the crew wearing shiny Sergio Tacchini tracksuits with the name Dr. James Andrews embroidered on the back, and stay healthy, but he’s not even an ace anymore. He’s not even the Yankees’ best pitcher, that’s Carlos Rodon. Actually, that might be Clarke Schmidt, but we’ll have to wait until he’s traded to the Nats for, like, Josh Bell or some other terrible trade. Speaking of terrible trades, make one and get Gerrit Cole off your team. Or simply don’t draft him.
