Pittsburgh Pirates: Should the Bucs look to Gerrit Cole?
By Matt Shetler
With starters Jeanmar Gomez and Wandy Rodriguez suffering injuries within the span of a week, suddenly the Pittsburgh Pirates pitching depth has become paper-thin.
That begs the question that’s on everyone’s mind: should the Pirates look to call up top prospect Gerrit Cole?
July 8, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; USA pitcher Gerrit Cole delivers a pitch during the second inning of the 2012 All Star Futures Game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The immediate answer should be no.
First off, the Pirates have to find out the severity of the injury to Rodriguez. If it’s a situation where he’s only going to miss a couple weeks or less, then there are other ways to plug the holes in the rotation or the short term.
Then there’s the fact that they are still about two weeks away from being able to promote Cole without starting his arbitration clock.
That’s the bigger deal here. There’s no need to call up Cole now and lose a year of having him under contract in his prime.
But if the Pirates get past the middle of June and there are still holes to be plugged in the rotation, Cole then has to be considered a serious option.
If Cole’s latest Triple-A start is any indication, he could be ready.
The overall No. 1 pick in the 2011 MLB Draft and No. 9 overall prospect in baseball retired 20 of the 21 batters he faced. In his last three starts, Cole has posted a 0.90 ERA while only allowing five hits and is currently on a 19 2/3 scoreless innings streak. Then there is the fact that Cole’s 88th pitch on Wednesday touched 99 mph, which is insane after that many pitches.
However none of that means that Cole will be promoted.
The Pirates could elect to have Charlie Morton skip his final rehab start and move right into the rotation or could look James McDonald’s way. If the Bucs do look at the option of promoting a Triple-A starter, it likely could be Andy Oliver instead of Cole. There’s also the option of using Bryan Morris or Vin Mazzaro in a spot start if necessary.
Add all of that up and the possibilities of Cole joining the Pirates in the next couple weeks do not appear bright. Personally I am all for not rushing a young pitcher to the majors just to fill a roster spot.
However, this situation seems different.
Cole has shown enough that would suggest he is ready to make the jump. The Pirates are limping through June so far and need a shot in the arm. Cole likely could provide that.
All along June 2013 was the proposed target date for Cole’s arrival. We will find out shortly if that becomes a reality.