Houston Astros: Five most important players to the 2018 season
By T.A. Mock
Gerrit Cole, SP
Gerrit Cole was one of, if not the hottest name on the block last offseason. The Houston Astros landed him for what, at the team, seemed to be pennies on the dollar in Joe Musgrove, Colin Moran, Micheal Feliz, and Jason Martin.
Who could have guessed that this trade would have wound up being an even bigger steal than it appeared to be from the beginning? Cole had an absolutely phenomenal season for the Astros, posting near career bests and career bests in every category including surpassing his previous strikeout number by 74.
Cole was straight filthy this year. He relied on his fastball less, which made it more effective, and he utilized his slider a little bit more and his curveball a whole lot more. Both pitches spun at a higher rate this year than they ever had before and in turn made him an even better pitcher.
Related Story. The Astros need to extend Gerrit Cole. light
Cole was great his year, he should receive some Cy Young votes though he won’t come close to winning it. However, that doesn’t matter as much as what he added to this team. He gave the Astros a second bonafide ace that could completely erase the opposing team’s lineup.
The Astros won 24 of Cole’s 32 starts, that’s 75% of his starts that resulted in a victory for this team. That is the highest among any starting pitcher for the Astros. That seals the deal on Cole’s value and importance to this team. The next man on this list had the second highest at 65%.