• PaulNyman

  +1

  As a wise man once said "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

  Interesting that you rate Cole as high as you do. Of the right-handers select in the first round, mechanically I put him second-worst behind Shooter Hunt. Choosing Cole is consistent with the Yankees inability to recognize what constitutes good throwing mechanics.

  For what it's worth, It was close but my right-hander mechanical vote went to Ryan Perry.

  But then again just my opinion. 

   

  Posted 7/11/2008 respond (flag)

  • b-intellect

    +1

    Oh, don't get me wrong. His mechanics aren't pretty. But I'm drawn to the quality of his stuff and his upside.

    As for Perry, I liked most of what I saw, but I didn't like the fact he was a short strider and I like a more active lower body.

    Posted 7/11/2008 respond (flag)

• baetown415

  +1

  This is a question for Alex (but I guess for Mr. Nyman also):

  Which is more likely to hurt Cole in the future if he doesn't tweak/change it: his long (inefficient?) arm action or his stiff front leg ?

  Posted 7/12/2008 respond (flag)

  • b-intellect

    +1

    Hmm...good question. To start, my feeling is that the stiff leg has more of an effect on the elbow while the arm action is more problematic for the shoulder and I view shoulder injuries as worse.

    Secondly, I think his arm action is a cause of a couple of the other problems associated with his mechanics, so if you fix the arm action, I think you can fix his the way he lands....but the arm action is a risky thing to go and tinker with.

    Thirdly, there are so many things that go into injury, so while he may get injured, it may not be because of his mechanics. What's his work load, how well are those muscles in his shoulder conditioned, genetics, etc. All those play a factor.

    I would be very careful, very conservative with Cole, especially early in his career. Let him gradually build up innings and limit his pitch counts before turning him loose.

    Posted 7/13/2008 respond (flag)

THT: Eisenberg: Scouting Gerrit Cole
BBTF's Baseball Primer Newsblog — THT: Eisenberg: Scouting Gerrit Cole Fight the temptation to tinker… The title of the Hughes article at the link is “If It Ain’t Broke.” The same concept applies to Cole: Why fix something that ain’t broke? The answer is, They shouldn’t. For now, the focus should be on simply letting Cole pitch. If needed, tweak his mechanics to make his current mechanics more efficient...But let him pitch. Should there be problems, whether they be health- or productivity-related, clearly changes should be considered. But that is a debate for another day.

This is Gerrit Cole
It's About The Money - A New York Yankees Blog — For those of you with an insatiable appetite for all things prospects/draft-related, here is some great dish from the talented Alex Eisenberg at The Hardball Times. For those less tuned in to the draft, Cole was the first round pick of the Yanks at #28 overall. He slid thiat low due to both "signability concerns" as well as "makeup concerns" and "mechanics". I'll skip most of that stuff and just point out a few things that Alex noted: ...

Breaking down Gerrit Cole
River Avenue Blues — ... Alex Eisenberg over at THT takes an excellent in-depth look at the Yanks’ first round pick, California high schooler Gerrit Cole. Eisenberg says that Cole was the second best pick of the draft (behind Justin Smoak), and had the best raw stuff of any pitcher available. When it comes to his delivery, Eisenberg applies the old “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy. Make sure you check it out, as well as his ...

Scouting report on Gerrit Cole
River Avenue Blues — ... breaks down the stuff and mechanics of Yanks first rounder Gerrit Cole over at The Hardball Times. You’ve gotta love the combination of velocity and movement he brings with his four-seamer, and the slight change with the two-seamer. His curve and change also figure to be above-average, so we’re looking at a guy with ace potential — though, as we’ve learned over the past few years, ace potential guarantees you diddly shit. Eisenberg’s conclusion: “Why fix something that ain’t broke?” Perfect. ...

Hank strikes again, and other notes
Bugs & Cranks — ... GERRIT COLE SCOUTING REPORT: The Hardball Times has done an extensive look at Gerrit Cole, the 18-year-old right-hander the Yankees drafted with their first pick (28th overall) last month. The report includes some video, and it’s worth a look. ...