Cole embraces ‘a new approach’
After 2-year decline, ex-Pirates ace might be asked to throw more breaking balls
From afar, Gerrit Cole has observed the type of changes the progressive Astros might suggest to a pitcher. Last season, for instance, he saw Charlie Morton, a friend from their three shared seasons in Pittsburgh, reap the benefits of throwing more curveballs.
Cole, whose repertoire features five pitches, might also be asked to tweak how he mixes his weapons in his first season with his new team. The newest member of a loaded rotation throws a traditional four-seam fastball and a sinker as well as a curveball and a slider. He also has a changeup, his least-used pitch.
“I think we’re going to be able to try to push some buttons to try to get the best version of him,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Wednesday in his first public comments since Cole was acquired Saturday in a trade. “Gerrit’s used to being a front-line pitcher in this league. He’s used to even carrying a pitching staff. And coming over here, we want that mentality to stay the same, even though he’s got some help in this rotation, to be his best.
“Certainly, we talk a lot about how he’s going to use his pitches. We’re going to talk to him a lot about command and things that he’s talked about, maybe some mechanical things that we feel like can get the best out of him. He’s open to any and all ideas. We’ve got a lot of people who are going to be working to try to maximize his potential in ways to get better.”
In town Wednesday for his introductory news conference at Minute Maid Park, Cole noted he was “looking forward to a new approach” with the reigning World Series champions. He’s coming from a Pirates organization also known for being data driven and forward thinking.
But naturally, every front office and coaching staff differs in certain philosophies.
“I know there are some things that the Astros do that are different,” Cole said. “So I’m looking forward to hearing those things and hopefully trying to get a little better.”
The 27-year-old Cole, whose fastball averages 96 mph, has at his disposal an elite arsenal of pitches. But in each of the last two seasons, his performance hasn’t matched his stuff.
It’s unclear which version of Cole the Astros will get: the ace who went 19-8 with a 2.60 ERA in 208 innings in 2015 or the pitcher with a 19-22 record and 4.12 ERA over the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Command is key
Perhaps he will perform somewhere in between. But Cole must prove the 31 home runs he allowed last season were a fluke and not a new norm in an era of launch angles and juiced-ball theories, and he will be tasked with doing so in the more hitterfriendly American League.
“I think it boils down to command,” he said. “I think it boils down to executing pitches. There are a lot of contributing factors. But I’m just going to trust what I do and continue to use the resources around me, try to soak up as much as I can from some of the veterans on this team and some of the really good players.”
Last season with the Pirates, Cole threw his four-seam fastball 43.2 percent of the time and his sinker an additional 16.5 percent, according to Brooks Baseball. He unleashed his slider, which averages 88 mph, less than once every five pitches (17.4 percent) and his curveball significantly less than that (12.1).
It wouldn’t be shocking in the least to see Cole’s breaking ball usage spike with the Astros, who will have the righthander for the next two seasons. According to FanGraphs, the opposition batted .226 against Cole’s slider last season, as opposed to .258 against his fastball and .287 against his sinker.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Cole had yet to speak with Astros pitching coach Brent Strom. Beginning next month, he will have a full spring training to learn his new coaches and rotation mates, including former MVP and Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, whom Cole, like every other righthanded power pitcher, has long looked up to.
“We don’t care where the information comes from. It can come from player to player. It can come from coach to player. It can come from the front office to us and the players. We’re one big group that is just trying to get the best version out of each other that we can,” Hinch said.
“I love the mindset that he wants to learn. With someone who has had his success and has had a good run in the league so far, it’s refreshing for me, and it makes me happy to hear that he wants to learn. It’s the same thing that Justin Verlander said when he came here. It’s the same thing that we expect of our young players when they come up: to learn from one another and to feed off one another.” Surplus of starters
As their roster stands, the Astros have a surplus of starters. Behind Verlander, Dallas Keuchel, Cole, Lance McCullers Jr. and Morton, they have Collin McHugh and Brad Peacock. McHugh and Peacock are likely bound for the bullpen if all the starters are healthy, which is never a guarantee.
“I think it is too early (to say),” Hinch said. “I think we have a lot to do before we get to the decision of how we’re going to sort out our rotation. Having as many options as possible is very important. I’m not sure of any team that’s ever won the division or gone to the World Series having only used five starters. You need that depth for the length of the season.
“We have some versatility in some guys like Peacock, like McHugh. I know there are going to be a lot of questions of how we sort it out. There’s only going to be one opening-day starter. That doesn’t mean the other guys stink. That just means one guy’s going to start first. But the decisions of how to maximize everybody are going to come in time.” jake.kaplan@chron.com twitter.com/jakemkaplan