Is Luis Gil the next Gerrit Cole? Comparing young flamethrower's stellar form to Yankees ace's past stats

Losing Gerrit Cole was expected to be a death knell for the New York Yankees' rotation, but Luis Gil seems to have swooped in to save the day. Had it not been for the injury to Cole, Gil would've gone straight to the minor leagues. Since no other starting pitchers have been injured, the Yankees' out-of-nowhere ace might never have arrived.

Last year, Gerrit Cole won the AL Cy Young. It would be a surprise to see Gil, who technically qualifies for Rookie of the Year voting, win that same award, but the 2023 start for Cole is very similar to Gil's 2024 campaign.

Cole had these numbers through 10 starts in 2023:

• 62 2/3 IP
• 2.01 ERA
• 2.97 FIP
• 1.09 WHIP
• 68 strikeouts

In 10 starts, here's what Gil's 2024 campaign has yielded:

• 55 1/3 IP
• 2.11 ERA
• 2.93 FIP
• 1.01 WHIP
• 70 strikeouts

The numbers are strikingly similar. However, Gil will have to keep up this pace over a full season, which is a tall ask. He may also have to slow down his innings since he is fresh off a missed year due to Tommy John surgery, which would hamper his chances.

Nevertheless, Gil has been more than a pleasant surprise this year. He's been the perfect Cole replacement, and Yankees fans are likely salivating over the future with these two pitching in the same staff.

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Luis Gil has broken all the way out

Luis Gil, a once-top prospect who spent time up and down between the minors and the MLB and also got hurt, is finally here. The young flamethrower has evolved into not only the Yankees' best pitcher but also one of the hardest to face in all of baseball.

Luis Gil has been excellent in 2024

With a 200-batter minimum, no pitcher has been harder to hit thus far in terms of the opposing batting average allowed.

1. Luis Gil: .143
2. Ranger Suárez: .171
3. Ronel Blanco: .174
4. Tyler Glasnow: 181
5. Dylan Cease and Zack Wheeler:

Gil has been fantastic in May, going 5-0 with a 0.59 ERA, 35 strikeouts, and 12 hits allowed in 30.2 innings as of Wednesday. He's been everything New York could have hoped for.