Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

There are really no words for what Cole was able to do last year. He built on the massive gains he made from his first year with the Astros and lowered his ERA, WHIP, and walk rate to miniscule levels while totaling an outrageous 326 strikeouts. He'll move to the Yankees now, which is a mild downgrade given that the Yankees may slightly limit his innings in light of their long-term investment in Cole and their bullpen, and the opposing offenses and ballparks in the AL East compared to the AL West. But Cole's fastball and slider are beyond elite, and he should be the top pitcher taken in fantasy drafts.