Gerrit Cole: Best Fantasy Pitcher?
Jun 18, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher
Gerrit Cole(45) throws against the Chicago White Sox in the first inning at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been on a roll as of late. They have won eight straight games behind their ridiculous pitching rotation. The Pirates pitching staff went 35 straight scoreless innings this past week by shutting out the Phillies and White Sox over a span of almost four games.
Gerrit Cole began that streak late in the Saturday’s game against the Phillies, where he would rack up his 10th win of the season.
Cole has been one of the best young arms in the game over the past three years, and he is starting to become a household name because of his dominance. Cole has the most wins in baseball with 11, the lowest ERA in the National League at 1.78, and he is 9th in the majors in strikeouts with 97. The only pitcher with a lower ERA in the majors is Sonny Gray with a 1.60 ERA.
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Cole has been the best pitcher on the Pirates by far this season, but is he the best fantasy pitcher?
One of the biggest things you look for in a fantasy pitcher is his ERA. You do not want your fantasy pitchers to give up a surplus of runs because that means you will lose fantasy points. Cole has the lowest ERA in the National League, and that is exactly what you want in a pitcher.
Another thing you look for in a fantasy pitcher is the amount of wins he accumulates in a season. Cole currently leads the majors in wins with 11 and he only has 2 losses. Getting a win will increase the value of any fantasy pitcher because it means more fantasy points. Every single time Cole takes the mound, he has a great chance to get a victory.
The only category that Cole isn’t in the top three is strikeouts. Cole is currently ninth in the majors in strikeouts with 97, which is by no means horrible, but strikeouts is where the bulk of fantasy points come from. So you definitely want a pitcher that can rack up k’s, but can still go deep in games.
Coming into the season, Cole was not a highly regarded fantasy pitcher because he hadn’t done anything to previously suggest this dominance. Cole is now one of the top fantasy pitchers in the game, but is he the best?
I think that Cole is the best fantasy pitcher out there because of how deep he goes into games, his league leading ERA, his high volume of strikeouts, and his Major League leading win total.
If you currently own Cole, lock him up. I wouldn’t trade him for any player because he is only going to get better as the season goes on.
FOR MORE by Caleb Luketic, check out CalebOnSports.com and follow him on Twitter @CalebOnSports