X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Implications - Gerrit Cole to the Astros

Houston Astros starting pitcher Gerrit Cole is on a new team for the 2018 MLB season. Michael Grennell assesses his fantasy baseball value and early ADP.

The Gerrit Cole sweepstakes have finally come to an end and the Houston Astros are the new home of the 27-year-old former first round pick.

Houston traded third baseman Colin Moran, outfielder Jason Martin and pitchers Joe Musgrove and Michael Feliz to Pittsburgh in order to add Cole to an already formidable Astros rotation. With a career 59-42 record, 3.50 ERA and 734 strikeouts, Cole will likely slide into the No. 3 slot in the rotation behind former Cy Young Award-winners Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel.

While Cole will improve the Astros' rotation, it's now been two seasons since he was named to the National League All-Star team and finished fourth in the Cy Young Award voting and he hasn't matched those numbers since. Can he return to form in 2018 against tougher American League hitters?

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

A Stone-Cole Houston Astros rotation

After an injury-riddled 2016 season, Cole threw 203 innings — third-most in the National League — over 33 starts last year, compiling a 12-12 record with a 4.26 ERA. Cole did manage to match his 2015 strikeout rate with an 8.7 K/9, but his 2.4 BB/9 was up from 2015 and his 1.4 HR/9 was a career-worst for him.

While those numbers don't look great on paper, advanced statistics show that Cole was a better pitcher than his stat line shows. He had a 4.08 FIP and when his HR/FB rate was normalized to what it should have been based on the number of fly balls he surrendered, Cole had a 3.81 xFIP. This makes sense that Cole was unlucky when it came to giving up home runs in 2017, as his 15.9% HR/FB rate was 6.5% higher than his previous career-high from 2015.

Joining the Astros, Cole now gets the backing of one of the top offenses in MLB that led the majors with 5.53 runs per game in 2017. After previously being supported by an offense that averaged 4.12 runs per game — third-worst in the majors in 2017 — Cole should see an uptick in wins this year and could potentially win 20 games in Houston.

Another reason to buy in on Cole is Astros pitching coach Brent Strom. Strom has a good track record when it comes to "fixing" pitchers like Charlie Morton and Verlander. In just one season with Strom and the Astros, Morton recorded career-bests with a 1.193 WHIP, 7.7 H/9, and 10.0 K/9 while Verlander lowered his WHIP from 1.279 to 0.647 and raised his K/9 from 9.2 to 11.4 after being acquired at the end of August. Based on his potential, his underlying numbers and his previous success, it's not much of a stretch to think that under the tutelage of Strom and pitching alongside Verlander and Keuchel, Cole could become an elite pitcher in 2018.

As for the players Houston sent to Pittsburgh in the trade, the one who is likely to get the most playing time with the Pirates this year is Musgrove. Ranked as one of the top-10 prospects in the Astros' organization in 2015, Musgrove has made 25 starts over the last two seasons and compiled an 11-12 record with a 4.52 ERA and 8.0 K/9. He will be competing for a spot in the Pirates rotation out of Spring Training but even if he does win a starting job he would likely only be worth owning in an NL-only league.

After five seasons in the minors Moran looks like he could be a .290 hitter with 10 to 15 HR, making him comparable to current Pirates third baseman David Freese. A hot start by Moran or a cold start by Freese could give Moran a chance to start at third, but for now it seems like Moran will be competing for the starting job in 2019 with Freese signed through the end of this season.

Martin looks like he could hit 15 HR with 15 steals, but with the current outfielders in Pittsburgh and their minor league affiliates Martin is on the outside looking in when it comes to playing time. With a career 12.79 K/9 and 3.67 FIP, Feliz looks like an interesting high-strikeout middle reliever option, but his 17.1% HR/FB and 3.57 BB/9 suggest otherwise. Martin and Feliz are both worth keeping an eye on, but neither will likely help your fantasy team any time soon.

Our rankings said to target Cole around the 10th round when he was in Pittsburgh, but now that he's with Houston, drafting him in the seventh, sixth or even fifth rounds doesn't seem unreasonable. For those playing in keeper and dynasty leagues, now would be the time to try and acquire Cole if you don't already own him. In his All-Star season in 2015, Cole had a 19-8 record with a 2.06 ERA, 1.091 WHIP and 202 strikeouts. With all the tools and weapons around Cole in Houston, there is no reason to believe he can't do the same or better in 2018.

 

More 2018 Player Outlooks




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Moises Ballesteros

Riding An 11-Game Hit Streak
Victor Mesa Jr.

Starting Rehab Assignment On Saturday
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF