One of cinema’s greatest manipulation tactics is to make the hero fall right when everything is going well. Cutting off the sails right before the finish line makes for some intense drama. Now what are the New York Yankees if not a perfect drama machine? While the team has its share of stories, currently the tragic hero role is being played by Gerrit Cole. His injury and report have created a massive story – one that is sure to turn many heads.
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At the beginning of Spring Training, nearly every prediction called Cole as the favorite to win the Cy Young award. After all, he was coming off a career-best season and was in the form of his life. Cole’s mere presence put teams on high alert, but then, like a perfect movie, things went south really fast.
The uneasy feeling in his elbow ended up being a stress to his UCL. While the MRI suggested that Cole won’t need surgery, he’s nonetheless scheduled to miss at least 1-2 months of action. This is one of the longest breaks that Cole has ever taken. According to CBS, the last time Cole missed a start due to a non-COVID-related issue was in 2016. Clearly, the Yankees and Cole are treading on an unknown territory here. So how does it affect Cole’s Cy Young prospects?
After consecutive 200 innings-plus seasons, 2024 is bound to see a drop-off for Cole. According to Fangraphs, most predictions had initially placed his total innings for 2024 between 150-180. However, with Cole set to miss at least two months of competition, that number could fall to around 100 innings. This huge fall will undoubtedly affect his standing in the Cy Young race.
However, there’s another worry that the New York Yankees need to be wary of. What if Cole ends up aggravating his injury? Or what if these two months of absence affect his style?
How does the risk of further injuries could affect Gerrit Cole’s standing?
Despite the MRI being clean, Cole’s elbow has some stress. While injections and rehab can heal him, the Yankees will have to ensure that the injury doesn’t aggravate itself. Especially since baseball is replete with examples of elbow stress leading to further complications down the line. But a bigger worry is whether, in a bid to protect himself, Cole changes his style.
We witnessed this last year when Cleveland Guardian’s Shane Bieber’s velocity reduced to 91 mph. He had elbow inflammation and missed many games. It’s all but natural for pitchers to protect themselves after such a massive injury scare. But for Cole – his USP is his explosiveness. What if that gets affected? Perhaps that’s why a Cy Young win seems so far-fetched now. A prize that was in Cole’s hands is suddenly slipping through his fingers – oh what a drama.
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Edited by
Himanshu Sridhar