Typically in our waiver-wire column, we're focusing on … well, the top waiver-wire targets from the previous day's action. But we do occasionally steer away from the waiver fodder and into other topics, and today is a good day for that.
We'll get to the top waiver targets shortly, but it's worth taking a few minutes to talk about what happened with Gerrit Cole on Thursday. What happened with Cole? He struggled through his worst start of the season, allowing five earned runs on five hits and a pair of walks over five innings of work. He struck out seven still and had a healthy 15 swinging strikes, so it's not like the start was a total disaster -- these things happen occasionally. It's just one start, and Cole didn't quite benefit from the same strike zone Ryan Yarbrough did on the other side:
So, it's not really the results that are noteworthy. You have to get a little in the weeds to understand why I'm taking the time to focus on this. Cole's spin rate was down in this start. Way down. He averaged 2,436 RPM with his four-seam fastball, down from a 2,561 RPM average for the season as a whole. His average fastball spin rate hasn't been that low in a season since 2018, the year before he joined the Astros -- and he hasn't had a start with a lower fastball spin rate since August of 2018.
In the past, that may have gone unnoticed, but … well, Jon Heyman literally tweeted this in the middle of Cole's start -- probably coincidentally, but still:
This has been an ongoing topic of conversation around MLB all season, with several reports surfacing that the league is looking to crack down on the use of foreign substances -- four minor-league pitchers were suspended just a few days ago. There haven't been any MLB players disciplined yet, but Cardinals manager Mike Schildt had quite a lot to say about the use of foreign substances by pitchers recently, calling it "baseball's dirty little secret":
There's no hard evidence that Cole is using any kind of substance, though there have certainly been accusations leveled his way -- and he allegedly reached out to a former Angels employee who was fired for providing pitchers with substances they could use to doctor the ball or enhance their grip.
Whether that's true and what kind of impact it has had specifically on Cole is sort of unknowable now, but this isn't really about Cole specifically -- whether he is using something or not, pretty much everyone agrees most pitchers are. That may range from sunscreen and rosin to much more sophisticated (and effective) substances, but it's a widespread practice right now, and it seems like MLB is finally about to crack down.
- We talk Ryan Yarbrough, the MLB cracking down on pitchers and Week 11 sleepers on the Fantasy Baseball Today in 5 podcast. You can follow us to get the latest episodes on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Maybe it won't affect Cole. Maybe it won't affect anyone -- after all, if everyone is using something to get an advantage, does anyone really have an advantage? This isn't to say you should try to trade Cole now, or jump ship on Trevor Bauer, or anyone else, specifically -- again, we don't know for sure who is using what.
But this seems like it's about to become an even bigger story in MLB, and the repercussions could be real for Fantasy. We'll see what happens in the coming days and weeks, but I felt I should address the elephant in the room while we're here. If MLB does decide to begin handing down punishments for players caught using these substances, the waiver wire could be even more important than usual. It's just another odd wrinkle we have to keep in mind as the 2021 season moves forward.
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"wire" - Google News
June 04, 2021 at 08:20PM
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Austin Gomber, Tucker Davidson shine; what's up with Gerrit Cole? - CBS Sports
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