Yankees ace Gerrit Cole took the mound against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday afternoon and was promptly knocked around, allowing six earned runs over just 2.2 innings. He surrendered five hits, including two homers, and only struck out two batters before being pulled from the game. The Yankees lost 8-4.
On the surface, it might seem like a concerning outing, but spring training is often more about process than results. For Cole, this was an experimental start—one that focused more on tinkering with mechanics and pitch sequencing rather than dominating the opposition.
Velocity Matters More Than Results
One of the biggest takeaways from Cole’s start was that his fastball velocity looked strong, averaging out at 95.6 mph. That’s an encouraging sign this early in camp, especially for a pitcher whose fastball is his bread and butter. As long as the velocity is where it needs to be, the Yankees have little reason for concern.
Gerrit Cole is going to be just fine pic.twitter.com/n9RBTRqQf5
— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) March 6, 2025
Cole spent most of the outing filling up the zone with heaters, making it clear that he was less focused on fooling hitters and more on refining command. This approach explains why the Twins jumped on his pitches early—he wasn’t necessarily trying to get them out as much as he was working through his spring routine.
Limited Slider Usage, More Curveballs
Cole barely used his slider, which has historically been one of his most dominant weapons. Instead, he leaned more heavily on his curveball, a pitch he’s making some mechanical tweaks to this spring. Given his track record, it’s safe to assume this was intentional.
In fact, he even mixed in a sinker, a pitch that’s not usually a staple in his arsenal. Spring training is the perfect time for pitchers to experiment with different grips, release points, and pitch selection, and Cole clearly used this outing as an opportunity to test some things out.
A Method to the Madness
It’s not unusual for a veteran ace to have some ugly spring starts. The primary goal right now is building arm strength and making sure his body is in sync with his mechanics. If he were getting shelled while throwing max effort in mid-April, it would be a different story, but right now, it’s simply part of the process.
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The Yankees will be far more concerned with how his stuff looks in his final tune-up starts later in camp, when he starts incorporating his full mix of pitches and working deeper into games. For now, as long as the velocity is trending in the right direction, there’s nothing to worry about.