![]() ![]() I’ve made a lot of friends and we’ve had our highs and we’ve had our lows and learned a lot. I’ve had an unbelievable experience here. GC – I definitely would say that it was probably one of the best decisions of my life. You never want to say ‘no’ or give the impression that I was throwing it in their face or anything like that, because that’s not what it was about.īNS – It would appear that after last year’s run to the College World Series and this year with the potential the team has, it would seem that that’s a decision that’s gone pretty well. That’s the way that my family and I had planned on going – to UCLA. GC – I mean obviously when you get called on draft day, it’s really exciting and it was a tremendous honor to be selected by such a prestigious organization, but I wouldn’t call saying no a joy. What’s it like when the Yankees are calling and they say they want to sign you, what’s it like to say ‘no’ to the New York Yankees? That’s probably not a feeling that many people experience. But I did throw the change-up in high school and I did throw the slider as well.īNS – The Yankees liked your stuff well enough to draft you 28th overall. When you have a pitch that you can get guys out with consistently, your coaches are going to want to call it most of the time and you’re going to want to throw it, so there was really no need to set up guys very much. GC – It was definitely more rear back and throw the heater compared to now, but I’d say for a high schooler, I think I mixed pretty well. I’ve had good control of both off-speed pitches this year, allowing me to go in and out of the zone with both of them so I’m comfortable throwing all three pitches in really any count.īNS – When you were in high school, did you have that confidence in your off-speed pitches, or was it just rear back and throw the heater? ![]() I like to change it up quite a bit, right on right, right on left, it depends. I don’t necessarily go to the slider all of the time. ![]() GC – It’s a traditional three-pitch mix with a fastball, a slider and a change-up. Things were going our way, we were playing really good defense and when you make a lot of really good defensive plays, you tend to get a lot of quick outs.īNS – What about your repertoire? Can I get you to break down your different pitches for me? I felt good, but I’ve felt just as good or better a couple other starts. Not really, especially because I had great defense behind me. Was that the best you’ve ever felt on a pitching mound? Click through to read our conversation:īen Nicholson-Smith – We’ll start with the game you had last week. MLBTR chatted with Cole about his most recent outing, turning down the team his family cheers for and having Charlie Sheen show up at his team's practices. Churchill and Keith Law suggested last week that Cole is a threat to surpass Anthony Rendon and go first overall this June. He will likely go higher than 28th overall in 2011 's Jason A. Baseball America announced earlier in the year that his mid-90s fastball and devastating slider give him "best pure stuff in the draft" and Cole struck out 153 batters in 123 innings last year, helping the Bruins reach the College World Series finals.Ĭole has been a known commodity for years, since the Yankees selected the power pitcher in the first round of the 2008 draft out of high school. It's not particularly surprising to see the 6'4" 20-year-old thriving. Cole pitched nine innings of two-hit, shutout ball, taking a perfect game into the seventh inning and striking out eight. ![]() UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole was one of the top draft prospects in the country before last week, but his performance against Nebraska on Friday sure didn't hurt his stock. The series started with two of the top college pitchers in the nation and continues today with another one. As the 2011 Draft draws closer, MLBTR will be introducing you to a handful of the top eligible prospects with a series of Q&As. ![]()
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