Meet The New Guys: AJ Cole

The Blue Jays signed A.J. Cole on November 25, 2019 to a Minor League deal. The 28 year old right-hander spent the last two seasons with three organizations, making a pair of Major League starts and pitching the rest of his appearances in relief.

Cole was drafted by the Washington Nationals in 2010, and made his Major League debut in 2015, appearing in three games for the Nats while starting once. Between 2016 and 2017 he bounced back and forth between the MLB and AAA, starting 16 out of his 19 games for Washington producing a solid 4.38 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. With the Nationals strong rotation, there wasn’t room for Cole as a starting pitcher on the team, and after playing only a handful of games for Washington, he was acquired by the Yankees. He made 28 relief appearances for the team, and his ERA out of the Yankees bullpen improved slightly to 4.26.

After Cleveland picked him up on waivers in 2019, he was used exclusively as a reliever, and finally found his place in a Major League pitching staff. He posted a 3.81 ERA; the lowest of his career, and a 1.50 WHIP, but the key to Cole’s success is his ability to strike batters out. His 10.4 K/9IP is above a strikeout an inning, which brings tremendous value to the Blue Jays’ bullpen this year.

Out of the ‘pen Cole can focus on throwing two pitches very well, which explains why this role will be the best fit. He primarily throws his fastball and slider, combining for approximately 90% of his pitches thrown as an Indian. Should Cole find similar success that Giles has with his fastball-slider mix, then Cole could be a very savvy pickup for Toronto.

Cole is likely to start the season at the back of the bullpen, or in AAA, possibly bouncing back and forth between Buffalo and Toronto. If the converted starter continues to see success out of the bullpen (not exactly a rare narrative in baseball), then Cole has both the opportunity and the pitches to fight his way into a more significant role where he could become an important name to know for the future of the Blue Jays’ bullpen.