What should the Detroit Tigers expect from the No. 1 pick?

2011: Gerrit Cole (Pittsburgh)

There were a handful of pitchers who were considered to be in the running for Pittsburgh to take first overall in 2011. The Pirates went with UCLA junior right-hander Gerrit Cole.

Like Strasburg and Harper, it took the Pirates until very near the deadline to sign their prized pick. Cole signed too late to pitch in the minors in 2011, but did appear in the Arizona Fall League.

The following season, Cole made stops at three levels of the minors, concluding his campaign with one start at Triple-A. In 132.0 innings that year, Cole posted a collective 2.80 ERA, and struck out more than a batter per inning.

In June of 2013, Cole made his major league debut. The right-hander helped boost an already strong Pittsburgh starting staff, which included current Detroit Tigers lefty Francisco Liriano. The Pirates ended a 20-year playoff drought, and Cole made a pair of starts in the NLDS against the Cardinals, winning Game 2, but dropping the decisive Game 5.

The righty was a double-digit game winner in each of his first three seasons in the majors. In 2015, Cole was an All-Star and turned in his best season so far. He posted a 2.60 ERA in 208.0 innings, while winning a career-high 19 games. Once again Cole pitched in the postseason, but took the loss in the Wild Card Game against the Cubs.

2016 and 2017 saw Cole fall off a bit from the highs of 2015, partially due to injuries. In 2016, he was limited to just 21 mediocre starts. Last year, Cole tied for the National League lead with 33 starts, but was not consistently effective. His 4.26 ERA was the highest for any of his major league seasons.

The Trade

This offseason, the Pirates traded Cole to Houston for Colin Moran, Michael Feliz, Joe Musgrove, and minor leaguer Jason Martin. The trade has seemed to reenergize Cole, as he and former Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander have been dominant so far for the Astros.

Through eight starts, Cole has a 1.43 ERA, and has fanned 86 in 56.2 innings for a rate of 13.7 per nine innings. Those 86 strikeouts are the most in the majors, with former Detroit Tigers teammates Scherzer and Verlander sitting second and third, respectively.

The Verdict

Much like Strasburg, Cole is an ace in every sense of the word. For now, he and Verlander are more or less co-aces, as the Astros defend their World Series title.

As for the Pittsburgh end of the spectrum, they got five productive seasons out of Cole.  The trade already has some proven some worth, too. Moran and others have helped them to a somewhat surprising strong start to the season.

Most importantly for a smaller budget team like the Pirates, it enabled them to cash in on Cole before he becomes a free agent next offseason. Losing him for nothing more than a compensation pick would’ve been a tough pill for Pittsburgh to swallow.