by qksilver69 » Tue May 29, 2012 1:19 am
Cole has the great FB but it's supposed to be a little true, so not unexpected that he does well with it at high A level where the simple velo can overpower 19 & 20 yr old kids. His changeup is reportedly excellent, but the slider or 3rd pitch seems to be the big question now. PIT not asking him to focus on that yet, working on FB command as is normal for their farm system, so the 3rd pitch thing may be a red herring, we'll see.
Also remember he's a college guy, so doing well at that level @ 21 yrs old not surprising. The kid I drafted over him, Walker, killing it 1 level higher & 2 yrs younger & FB has a lot more life if a tick slower than Cole's.
Cole still projects as a #1-2 guy, just hear a few grumbles about him that I didn't before, and want to see him at AA/AAA before I'd take him over Walker, Bundy or maybe Bauer.