Gerrit Cole Win Total Projection for 2020 Could Foreshadow Historic Season Finish

The New York Yankees made the biggest splash of the MLB offseason by signing ace starting pitcher Gerrit Cole. Coming off one of the best seasons by a pitcher in recent memory, Cole was awarded with the largest contract for a starting pitcher in MLB history with 9 years and $324 million.

Cole had a 20-5 record with a 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts in just 212 1/3 innings pitched in 2019 for the Houston Astros.

It was a nice decade for anyone who hates the Yankees. I hope you enjoyed it. You’re about to have the worst time of your lives. This will be the end of your happiness and joy. Pick a different sport to root for. Enter Gerrit Cole. Time to meet your demise. The Empire is back. pic.twitter.com/OXRgiaFtD3
— Eric Hubbs (@BarstoolHubbs) January 1, 2020

With his move to the Yankees, he will be pitching for a team that some consider to be even more talented than his previous one in Houston. The 2019 Yankees still managed to win 103 games last year too, despite seemingly suffering more injuries than any other team in recent memory.

If those reasons weren't enough already, the 2019 Yankees also led the league in run production, averaging 5.77 runs per game. All things considered, it'd be hard not see some of New York's faithful viewing Cole's 2020 season win total at a mere 17.5 mark as disrespectful.

Cole comes to New York in the prime of his career, with an offense behind him that resembles a modern-day "Murderers' Row," and it could still be getting better as the offseason continues.

With Gerrit Cole leading the rotation, the Yankees are "built to win & expect to win" in 2020. pic.twitter.com/JRY8Frlse7
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) January 6, 2020

Additionally, Cole will likely get to pitch against both the lowly Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles quite frequently, who in both finished with worse records than the Seattle Mariners – the AL West's bottom team – in 2019.

While hitting the 18-win mark is no easy task, when you're talking about a pitcher coming off a 20-win season with an improved offense behind him, if you're Gerrit Cole, its tough not to feel slighted by the 17.5 number.

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David Kaestle is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, David also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username davekaestle. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.