And to think at this point he didn’t have a cutter is insane. Hell he didn’t even truly find his cutter until about 2 months into the 2023 season! 2024 he could be even better with a full season of that weapon.
I really like Cole, and I’m happy to watch him succeed. But I saw almost no breaking ball clips (now at the 4:53 mark), and…it was sticky stuff. His curveball was an absolute HAMMER during this stretch - including into the 2020 season when, of course, the other kind of hammer started coming down on sticky stuff - and his curve returned to normal. As did his fastball spin rates. He was already a very good pitcher, and very intelligent, a good learner, and had lots of experience, so he’s continued success without the sticky stuff. But his and Glasnow’s curveballs *particularly* stood out during this stretch, and…although pitching is my favorite part of the game to watch, this…was like watching Bonds hit 70 homers. It was entertaining, but a little silly.
Him and Verlander were an incredible duo. It's hard enough for a team to have a pitcher toss 300+ K's in a single season, and the Stros had 2 which is just ridiculous. That beard struck fear in hitters eyes for sure.
2019 Astros had one of the best starting pitching EVER. Verlander (21-6, 2.58), Cole (20-5, 2.50) and Greinke (18-5, 3.02). People forget how good Greinke was cause Verlander and Cole were hot. Both Verlander and Cole had 300K, that doesn’t happen on the same team. I loved watching them pitch. Imo this was the best Astros team ever. Many Astros fans would agree.
It's a bit like the steroid era, lots of players were doing it, doesn't make it right but the league stopped it and now it's not a problem anymore. And Cole was the best pitcher in baseball in 2023 once again!
That definitely helped, he was also a bit more consistent throughout the season. Only posting one month above a 2.51 ERA, with the other 5 being between a 2.04-2.51. Couldn't go wrong with either though!
Totally agree. Facial hair should be allowed. Cole looked a lot better with a beard and more fearsome. I also think a player’s name should be on their jersey, I think Yankees still go nameless. That’s not special.
