Cole proving his worth as Pirates ace

There is no Cy Young award given out in June or July, but if there was, Gerrit Cole would likely be the frontrunner.

Cole is leading a Pirates pitching staff that has performed very well as a whole, but what sets Cole apart from the rest is his understanding of the game, his baseball IQ.

"He has very good game awareness," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle told Pirates.com. "You can talk to pitchers after they've pitched, a couple of days later, and they can't tell you certain things. This guy can probably tell you every pitch he threw and why. The awareness really grabs my attention, and now [he's gaining] the ability to navigate a game based on what he's got.''

Cole also learned how to fight through adversity last season when he went on the disabled list on two separate occasions.

While the Pirates would have liked to have Cole healthy last season, Hurdle's acknowledges that the stints on the DL, may have had some positive impacts on the right-hander.

"He had to fight back, figure some things out, work some things out,'' Hurdle said. "Those were very meaningful and gainful opportunities from my perspective. [He's got] more knowledge of the league, a better idea of reading hitters' swings. He has awareness that's showing up more now based on experience as well.''

(h/t Pirates.com)

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