By Ross Insana:
Legendary wrestling public address announcer Michael Buffer uttered those words many of times, but the world-renowned phrase could not be far from the truth tomorrow night at PNC Park when Pirates top prospect Gerrit Cole makes his Major League debut. This is in fact the “main event” that has been two years in the making for Pirates fans and the time has finally arrived. Since rumors began floating around on Friday of his apparent promotion and subsequent Major League debut, the fan base and the city have been abuzz. So let’s get ready to rumble.
Many might say Cole now becomes the first piece of the future of the Pirates franchise to break through the surface into the Major Leagues out of the “trio of arms”, along with Jameson Taillon and Luis Heredia, that every fan has been yearning to see make it to the bright lights of PNC Park one day and headline the Pirates starting rotation with young power arms. To supplant the core of young talent already on the Pirates roster in McCutchen, Alvarez and Walker and maybe even a new addition in Justin Wilson to that list, but that’s a different story. Cole’s debut will in fact be a daunting task as he will face off against two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum in what many expect to be a sold out crowd. It won’t exactly be a carnival-like atmosphere like when Stephen Strasburg he made his much-hyped Major League debut against, coincidentally, the Pirates, on June 8, 2010. Or even Strasburg’s teammate Bryce Harper on April 28 of last season.
Fans are chomping at the bit to see the man that can throw a ball in the high 90’s, maybe hit triple digits here and there. So, come one come all! Isn’t this the moment that baseball fans in Pittsburgh have been waiting for? A fast-track homegrown guy with Cole’s pedigree and hype, who many regard as one of the best prospects in baseball, throwing on the black and gold and getting the Pirates name out on the big stage? Has a Pirates player come in with so much pomp and circumstance than Cole?
Cole, 22, was the Pirates first overall pick in the 2011 draft out of UCLA after an abysmal 2010 season that saw them drop the second most losses in franchise history with 105. Fans have been anxiously waiting for Cole since he was inked to his franchise record-setting eight-million dollar signing bonus minutes before the signing deadline. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound has made 12 starts with the Pirates Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis in 2013, posting a 5-3 record and a 2.91 ERA with 47 strikeouts. His career minor league numbers include a 14-10 record in 38 starts with a 2.84 ERA and 183 strikeouts.
More recently the heat was on from Pirates fans after Cole went 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA, striking out 13 and walking four in 13 innings in four appearances in Major League camp during Spring Training this season before being sent down. He was relegated back down to Indianapolis, where he left off at the end of the 2012 season and on frustrating terms, as Cole vowed to prove to the Pirates management that he was hungry enough to prove they made the wrong decision. “I really worked hard here, and I put together a lot of good outings, especially if I didn’t have my stuff. I tried to give them a lot of opportunities to not make this decision. But in the end, it still happened, ” said Cole after he was given the demotion from Major League camp on March 18.
Fans, and Cole himself, felt that he performed to a level where he would merit a spot on the 25-man roster and break camp with the Pirates for the start of the 2013 season. That for owner Bob Nutting and Company to live up to their word of “fielding the best team possible out there to win”, Cole was in fact one of the best 25 guys suited to make these 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates the best chance to win and a winning team that fans have been wanting for two decades. The June 1st arbitration deadline has passed and that extra year of control that was all the rave for Cole’s future and the millions of the dollars the Pirates would save is now in the rearview mirror.
Will Cole’s Major League debut come with a lot of added pressure considering the challenge to the starting pitching depth the Pirates currently face, the hype and the record that shall not be spoken of? Of course it will. All eyes will be on him, not just Pirates fans but all of Major League Baseball. Being a number one overall pick talent, that’s the label that will follow him for the rest of his career. Expectations will be high on Cole but no matter the outcome, don’t chomp at the bit at the first sign of struggle or failure and compare him to that of Strasburg’s seemingly effortless entrance into Major League Baseball. His control and his ability to keep his emotions in check out on the mound could be his kryptonite and something to keep a close eye out on Tuesday night as he was in the top ten in the International League in walks. So fastball command, a Neal Huntington regime moniker, will be essential for him not only Tuesday night, but going forward as well. So do not expect Cole to immediately be the saving grace riding in on a white stallion and be the savior of the Pittsburgh Pirates and their current starting rotation flux.
Cole is an “all-business” type of player and really plays the game with his heart on his sleeve and what you may call a true blue-collar athlete. Maybe the addition of Cole to this roster could be just what the doctor ordered and be a catalyst to help put this 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates squad over that metaphorical “hump”. Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride for the debut of a pitching talent that Pittsburgh baseball fans haven’t seen in quite some time.
