Gerrit Cole has been named the National League Rookie of the Month for September, Major League Baseball announced today. The right-hander dominated in the month of September, posting a 1.69 ERA in 32 innings, with a 39:10 K/BB ratio. That included one start where he struck out 12 in six innings against the San Diego Padres.
Cole wasn’t just the top rookie. He was also one of the top pitchers in the league. His ERA ranked 8th among all qualified major league pitchers during the month of September. His K/9 ratio ranked 6th among those qualified starters, which was a group of 93 pitchers. Cole also had the fourth best xFIP of that group (2.36), showing that this wasn’t a fluke. He didn’t allow a homer, and had a 2.81 BB/9 ratio.
His final start of the season was skipped, so that Cole could be available for the Wild Card game. He will probably only be used if the game goes to extra innings, or if Francisco Liriano has to leave early for some reason.
