2011 Draft: Pirates will take Gerrit Cole first overall

by 47 Comments

Winning streak ends at four, Yanks fall to Angels
2011 Draft: Daniel Norris

Via Dejan Kovacevic, the Pirates are going to select UCLA RHP Gerrit Cole first overall when the 2011 amateur draft kicks off on Monday. Cole was the Yankees first round pick (28th overall) back in 2008 out of high school, which you surely remember. He turned into the guy the Yankees thought he would while in college, a super hard-throwing righty with two swing-and-miss secondary pitches, which is why he’s going before everyone else this year. Oh well, good for him.

Winning streak ends at four, Yanks fall to Angels
2011 Draft: Daniel Norris
  • TMiller

    Hope he enjoys playing for the Pirates!

    • SteveD

      Really. Enjoy Pittsburgh.

      • AndrewYF

        The Pirates will never sign him longterm. He can sign a $20M per year deal with the Yankees at age 29 and then blow out his arm in a bar fight at age 30.

      • Ted Nelson

        Pittsburgh is a pretty cool city.

  • Reggie C.

    OH well. What might have been …

    I take consolation in the strong likelihood that Cole wasnt signing with any team three years ago. The kid wanted to go to college, and clearly made the best of that situation. I’m sure Cole’s pitching in AA at this point next season.

  • http://bloodfarm.tumblr.com mattdamonwayans

    At least he got that college degree. Oh wait…

  • MonteroSmash

    Well this is better than him going to Mariners (same league, already has Felix/Pineda/Vargas of that rotation)

    • http://Facebook.com/andrewjcalagna Drew

      So when did the Vargas get grouped in with Pineda and Felix? I must have missed something…

  • Colin

    he’ll look nice in pinstripes is a 6 or 7 years from now

  • bonestock94

    He got more money, he wins I guess.

    • AndrewYF

      It was never about money, his father is a multimillionaire. He wanted the college experience, you can’t replicate that.

  • dutchsailor

    I don’t know about more money. Pittsburgh is pretty cheap.

    • bonestock94

      He has to

    • Ted Nelson

      They gave out three of the biggest bonuses to amateur pitchers last season: Taillon, Heredia, and Allie. He might not get a lot more and he might even go back to UCLA for his senior season, but he’s not going to get less. There is the time value of money issue, but he got the college experience he wanted and there’s value in that.

  • Kiersten

    Hope college was worth spending the first six years of your career in the NL Central basement.

    /bitter’d

    • http://Facebook.com/andrewjcalagna Drew

      Agreed

  • Bpdelia

    He looked at the nyy offer, knew that he would be a top five pick in a few years and rolled the dice on injuries.

    He won. Makes you wonder what nyy offered though. Did they offer top five money for what they considered top five talent or did they get cute?

    Damn this effin blows and makes me angry. No way around it, this sucks.and I want to blame someone.

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa

      Story came out a few years ago that he didn’t even listen to their offer, and they were prepared to give him $4M. Back then, that much money was unheard for a high school pitcher.

      • TMiller

        I’m amazed that someone would turn that down. Even if you thought you were good/durable enough to be the top pick, those are some serious balls to have to turn down that kinda money out of high school. Money must not really be an issue for him.

        • Kiersten

          If I’m not mistaken, his family is pretty wealthy.

          • A-Rod’s Wingman

            That and they can easily afford an insurance policy on their kid incase he gets hurt or ends up sucking in college. On the flip side, I think kids like 150K to spend on college in case they don’t make it in the bigs.

    • http://www.twitter.com/deanezag Zack D

      Cole, you may remember, stunned the Yankees by refusing to so much as even let them make an offer after they made him their first-round pick in 2008, deciding to go to college instead.

      http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2011/06/03/2011-06-03_yanks_left_feeling_colehearted.html?r=sports/baseball

  • TMiller

    Who did the Yankees draft with the comp pick they got for not signing Cole?

    • TMiller

      Nevermind, just found it. Hopefully Slade works out, then this won’t hurt as bad

      • A-Rod’s Wingman

        Actually Slade probably would have fell to their second pick due to his character concerns and bonus demands. He was a LSU commit, IIRC.

        • Ted Nelson

          Speculation, and even if that’s the case it allowed them to get JR Murphy then.

          • A-Rod’s Wingman

            I recall not many of the scouting press was too high on Murphy, but the Yankees always play things close to the chest. So there’s that too.

            I’m still fucking pissed for reasons I can’t explain.

  • AndrewYF

    If anything, doesn’t this, you know, kinda justify the Yankees’ selection of Cole back in 2008?

    • Mister Delaware

      Looks like someone needs their logic to panic ratio adjusted quite a bit.

    • http://www.twitter.com/deanezag Zack D

      Did anyone question Cole’s talent in 2008? Not like he was 3-4 round prospect based on talent.

  • spark

    The fact that the Yanks system would of most likely ruined the guy is the only consolation I take. Better to let the Pirates develop the guy for us and then we go get him from them.

    I’m kidding, somewhat.

    • dkidd

      should have read the thread before posting identical thought below. sorry to plagerize

  • It’sATarp

    Enjoy last place for a few years /bitter

  • Naved

    If I were in Cole’s shoe I would have done the same thing. Just imagine how many chicks he got being the big man on campus in UCLA. He must have lived the life for those three years.

    • YankeeGrunt

      As opposed to being the toast of New York? Yeah Charleston and Tampa are a ways from New York, but $4 mil can buy a lot of attention.

      • AndrewYF

        Dude, life in the minor leagues sucks. Any way you can minimize your time in the minors is a good decision.

    • http://Facebook.com/andrewjcalagna Drew

      Yeah I’ve seen some kids at my school that hook up with 8’s and they look like a foot. College athletes in great locations must rake. I probably would have done anything to have been a non religious Tim Tebow.

    • http://www.secondavenuesagas.com Benjamin Kabak

      Derek Jeter didn’t go to college, and I hear he did pretty OK for himself on the lady front.

  • dkidd

    this is perfect. a team that actually knows how to develop starting pitchers gets him going, then we swoop in once it’s too late to ruin him

    /joking

    //sort of

  • Tom Zig

    The Yankees would have just put him in the bullpen anyway.

  • A-Rod’s Wingman

    I recall another pitcher that the Yankees drafted but ended up going to college only to be a top prospect in the draft…here’s to hoping that little fuck ends up being Mark Prior.

    • S

      thats messed up, you might be upset but wishing basically wishing injury on another person isn’t right.

      • Ted Nelson

        The Brian Sabean approach…

      • A-Rod’s Wingman

        Can I wish that he gets Brien Taylor’d?

  • ariel

    Whoever takes him will be disappointed. Yesterday was a typical “Gerritt Cole” day…11 strikeouts in 7 1/3; sounds great, amazing stuff, it’s why the Yankees drafted him in the 1st round way back when. But..he also gave up 11 hits. As the scribe for the LA Times wrote….”He’s unhittable except when he’s hit”. His teammate Trevor Bauer is a far better prospect when all aspects of an prospect are considered.