Fantasy Baseball: 10 Starting Pitchers Expected to See an Increase in Production
Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh Pirates
2016 nF Score: -1.75
2017 Projected nF Score: 2.39
Projected Boost: 4.14
| Year | IP | W | K | BB | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 116 | 7 | 98 | 36 | 3.88 | 1.44 |
| 2017 (Projected) | 187 | 12 | 165 | 55 | 3.52 | 1.26 |
Three separate trips to the disabled list because of issues with his pitching elbow really stunted Gerrit Cole's performance in 2016.
Although he's only thrown more than 140 innings once in a single season (208 in 2015), he looks primed to get back to the production that made him an All-Star a couple years ago. He's looked very sharp this spring, including a scoreless two-inning outing against the Dominican Republic. That's no easy feat if you take a look at who they're penciling into the lineup each night during the World Baseball Classic.
His elbow issues could've been a reason why he backed off the usage of his slider, which went from a career-high 21.2% in 2015 to 17.9% in 2016.
Based on his pedigree, though, he could be a steal on draft day.
Current Fantasy Draft Information:
NFBC shows that he's the 28th starting pitcher getting selected in drafts, which is outside the top 100. He's the ace of the Pittsburgh Pirates' staff, healthy and has pitching coach (and magician) Ray Searage working with him. This smells like a great opportunity for a bounce-back campaign.
