Gerrit Cole could be the next James Shields

Gerrit Cole is good. Many people would even call him great. I’m not to that point yet, but he’s definitely been and will continue to be a key part of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ pitching staff for a long time. He just hasn’t reached the point of being an ace yet. Fans want him to take that next step, and there may very well be yet another level to Cole’s game. Cole is good enough to pitch on just about any staff in baseball and be a key piece of any rotation, but still needs to become that ace that so many fans and analysts think he can be. Cole is very similar to a young James Shields in this way and in so many others.

“Big Game James” has been known as one of the definitive workhorses throughout the game of baseball. He’s made at least 30 starts and pitched at least 200 innings every season outside of his rookie year. In all but two of those seasons, Shields had an ERA under four. He’s had a couple 200-strikeout seasons, but he’s made a name for himself for his durability and above average pitching. This combination is rarely seen in the game today. Many great pitchers in the game are injured at one point or another during a season or throughout their careers, and many others that throw 200 innings are solid number three or four starters. Shields is the best of both worlds as a solid number two that is as reliable a pitcher as any in the game today.

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When Cole was rising through the minors, many saw him as a future workhorse. Coming in a six-foot-four and over 220 pounds, Cole uses his large build to help add velocity to his fastball. He was seen as someone that could log 200 innings for many seasons while helping carrying a staff. He is similar, in this regard and in many, to Shields.

Shields comes in at six-foot-three, 215 pounds (according to ESPN), which is a very similar build to Cole’s. Cole relies heavily on his fourseam fastball, as does Shields. While Cole is still developing his repertoire beyond his primary pitch, Shields has added numerous pitches to his: a cutter, changeup, knuckle curve, and sinker all make appearances in his stints (according to Brooks Baseball). With time, Cole will add and develop more pitches; he still has nine years to reach the point Shields is at in his career.

Cole has come up big for the Pirates in the postseason, and while Shields hasn’t necessarily done that recently, he’s earned the nickname “Big Game James” for good reason. In the 2008 postseason, Shields had a 2.88 ERA en route to a World Series appearance with the Tampa Bay Rays. With the recent success of the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise, Cole may get the opportunity to have big postseasons in the future.

Cole is good enough to pitch on just about any staff in baseball and be a key piece of any rotation, but still needs to become that ace that so many fans and analysts think he can be. Cole is very similar to a young James Shields in this way and in so many others.

And while Cole hasn’t become a workhorse just yet, he has a good shot to become that. He was injured for much of last year, but that was the only injury in his short major league career. What kept him out much of last season was a strained lat muscle, which isn’t a long-term issue. Cole is expected to get close, if not surpass the 200-inning mark this season.

Gerrit Cole is more similar to a young James Shields than many people recognize. From their builds and their primary pitch to their ability to rise up in big games, the two bear a resemblance to one another. If Cole manages to stay off the disabled list (which he could, considering no injury from last season has had long-term implications to date), he can become to workhorse that Shields is. James Shields is a great pitcher for Gerrit Cole to be compared to, and it would be great if he reached that point, but he has the ability to be better. Hopefully he can do that starting this season.

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