When the Astros traded for Gerrit Cole this offseason, we knew that we got a steal. No matter how optimistic you were, no one saw Cole pitching the way he has. Unlike his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Astros don’t need him to be the ace. His performance has shown otherwise, he is almost on par with Justin Verlander with a 1.4 WAR compared to 1.6. Cole is impressing Astros and MLB fans alike.
Yesterday, Cole failed to pitch seven innings for the first time this season. That is impressive in itself, this was Cole’s 6th start with the Astros.