Uncover the Stories of Veteran Pitchers in the Baseball Season
Alex Cobb: A Career with Its Fair Share of Challenges
Alex Cobb's career has been a fascinating journey. We often think of "injury-prone" pitchers as those with a history of Tommy John surgery or thoracic outlet syndrome. However, Cobb has defied these stereotypes. He made his debut in 2011 with just nine starts and continued to pitch through the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign with 10 starts. He's had seasons with between 18 and 29 starts, but also faced setbacks with injuries. In 2015 and 2016, a torn UCL wiped out most of his season. Even in 2019 and 2024, a hip injury limited him to just three regular-season starts. But when healthy, Cobb is usually solid. In fact, since 2021, he has a 3.75 ERA and 3.29 FIP in 410 2/3 innings, totaling 8.3 WAR. This is comparable to pitchers like Zac Gallen and Tanner Bibee. The Detroit Tigers saw the value in him and signed him to a one-year contract worth $15 million with additional incentives. This is more than he received in his previous contract with the Giants and shows the importance of starting pitching in today's market.
The Guardians recognized Cobb's potential and traded for him in July, despite him not having thrown a competitive pitch all season. He went straight into the playoff rotation but got injured again. The risk of his age and short 2024 campaign was evident, but the Tigers were willing to take that chance. If he meets his incentives, he could nearly double his average annual value. This is a testament to the scarcity of reliable starting pitchers in the market.
Yimi García: A Contrast in Role and Arsenal
Yimi García presents a contrast to Alex Cobb not only in role but also in his pitching arsenal. While Cobb's approach is simple, García throws six different pitches, with multi-pitch mixes for both sides of the plate. His pitch breakdown against left-handed hitters and right-handed hitters shows his versatility. Against lefties, his four-seamer has a velocity of 96.2 mph and a pitch percentage of 46.7%, with a wOBA of 0.378 and a xwOBA of 0.349 and a whiff percentage of 28.8%. Against righties, his four-seamer has a velocity of 96.9 mph and a pitch percentage of 28.6%, with a wOBA of 0.091 and a xwOBA of 0.145 and a whiff percentage of 34.8%. García's surface stats have been decent but not exceptional in his career. He has been a favorite of contenders looking for bullpen help at the trade deadline. He has played for three different playoff teams from 2020 to 2022 and was picked up by the Mariners this past July. The Blue Jays brought him back, and his two-year, $15 million contract is intriguing considering the signing of Jordan Romano. The proximity of these two pitchers' signings will make for an interesting contrast.
García's three breaking pitches for right-handed hitters may seem excessive, but the Blue Jays don't seem to mind. He represents a unique asset in the bullpen and will be expected to pitch substantial innings at a high quality. These veteran righties may not be the most headline-grabbing signings, but they play an important role in the teams' playoff aspirations.