Bidding farewell – and saying thank you – to Gerrit Cole

Bidding farewell – and saying thank you – to now ex-Pirate ace starting pitcher Gerrit Cole after he was traded to the Houston Astros.

With the number one overall pick in the 2011 June Amateur Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole out of UCLA. During his time in Pittsburgh, Cole helped the Pirates to end their stretch of 20 consecutive losing/playoffless seasons.

From the time he made his Major League debut on June 11, 2013, Gerrit Cole has been one of the best starting pitchers in the National League. Sadly, his time in Pittsburgh has now come to an end.

On Saturday night, the Pirates traded Cole to the Houston Astros for pitchers Joe Musgrove and Michael Feliz, third baseman Colin Moran, and outfield prospect Jason Martin.

Since making his debut Gerrit Cole ranks 10th in the National League in FIP (3.27) and fWAR (15.9), 15th in walk rate (234 BB/9), and 16th in strikeout rate (8.44 K/9). No matter how you want to slice it, Cole has been one of the best pitchers in the senior circuit since his debut.

Gerrit Cole also made a trio of postseason starts for the Pirates during his tenure here. In Game 2 of the 2013 NLDS with the Pirates trailing the Cardinals 1-0 in the series, Cole fired six strong innings allowing just one run to help lead the Pirates to victory. He was also handed the ball for the decisive game 5 of the series, a game the Pirates lost but not due to Cole who allowed just a David Freese two-run home run in five innings of work.

Cole also got the ball in the 2015 NL Wild Card Game and struggled allowing five runs in five innings of work. However, the Pirates were behind the eight-ball in that game due to the buzzsaw that was 2015 Jake Arrieta.

Gerrit Cole was a fiery competitor during his time in Pittsburgh and a clubhouse leader. Often times when the team needed a stopper he was that guy, and that started during his rookie season. Not just due to his two strong postseason starts as a rookie, but also due to starts such as his start in Texas against the Rangers in September of 2013. The Bucs were coming off being swept by the Cardinals and Cole outdueled Yu Darvish to a 1-0 victory giving the Bucs their 82nd win and first winning season since 1992.

Next: Cole traded to Houston

Gerrit Cole is one of the best, most talented pitchers in the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates. During his five seasons as a Pirate he helped lead the Pirates to the postseason three times and was one of the best pitchers in the National League.

Now that he has been traded to the Houston Astros we bid farewell to Gerrit and say thank you as well. Go give the American League hell, Gerrit.