As you may have noticed, two elite prospects were promoted in the past week. The Pittsburgh Pirates called up right-handed starting pitcher Gerrit Cole, whose pure stuff rivals that of anyone in the game, and the Seattle Mariners turned to Mike Zunino, baseball's top catching prospect.
Cole was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft and recipient of a draft-record $8 million bonus. He has an impressive arsenal that includes an upper-90s four-seam fastball, a mid-90s two-seamer, a wipeout slider and a tantalizing changeup. He began his big league career Tuesday night by fanning Gregor Blanco on three consecutive 96 mph heaters, and he averaged 96 mph on his fastball for his 6 1/3 innings.