Jan. 15, 2013

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Durham, N.C. - Former UCLA pitcher Gerrit Cole has been named as the No. 1 overall prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league organization by Baseball America, as announced today in the publication's ongoing rankings of top-10 prospects by team.

Cole, the No. 1 overall pick of the Pirates in 2011, made 26 starts between three teams in 2012 (Bradenton-A, Altoona-AA and Indianapolis-AAA). At Single-A Bradenton, Cole made 13 starts, going 5-1 with a 2.55 ERA and 69 strikeouts while holding opponents to just a .217 batting average against him. Cole was promoted to Double-A Altoona on June 19, where he posted a 2.90 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 12 starts (59 IP) for the Curve. He also logged 34 strikeouts, a 1.36 ERA and allowed just five earned runs in his last six starts at Altoona.

Cole was finally promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis on August 29, where he made one start, earning the win and tallying seven strikeouts in six innings pitched. Overall, Cole went 9-7 with a 2.80 ERA in 2012, tallying 136 strikeouts in 132 innings pitched. This past summer, Cole also competed for the U.S. Team at the 2012 MLB Futures Game at MLB All-Star Weekend in Kansas City, Mo.

At UCLA, Cole enjoyed one of the finest careers of any pitcher in school history. He ranks second all-time at UCLA in career strikeouts (376), third in career games started (49) and fifth in career innings (322.1). Cole was also a two-time All-Pac-10 selection in 2009 and 2010, and earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 accolades in 2011. His best season came in 2010, when he racked up 153 strikeouts and an 11-4 record while leading the Bruins to the College World Series Finals. In three seasons at UCLA, Cole went 21-20 with a 3.38 ERA while becoming the only pitcher at UCLA to log at least 100 strikeouts in three consecutive seasons.