page_title: Gerrit Cole
section_title: High school career
hierarchical_section_title: Gerrit Cole / Amateur career / High school career
caption_attribution_description: Gerrit Cole
context_page_description: Gerrit Alan Cole is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Nicknamed "Cole Train", he previously played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros. Cole played for the baseball team at Orange Lutheran High School, and was selected by the Yankees in the first round of the 2008 MLB Draft. Cole opted not to sign, and instead attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where he played college baseball for the UCLA Bruins.
  After his college baseball career, the Pirates made Cole the first overall selection in the 2011 MLB draft. Cole made his MLB debut in 2013, and was named the National League Rookie of the Month in September 2013. He was named the NL Pitcher of the Month for April 2015, and an MLB All-Star in 2015. The Pirates traded Cole to the Astros in the 2017–18 offseason. On September 18, 2019, Cole became the 18th pitcher in major league history to strike out at least 300 batters in a season. On December 16, 2019, Cole signed a $324 million contract with the Yankees, the largest contract in major league history for a pitcher.
context_section_description: Cole attended Orange Lutheran High School. In his sophomore year, Cole pitched for the school's junior varsity baseball team, allowing no runs in 45 innings pitched. He gained national attention while pitching for the varsity team in his junior year, as his fastball reached 94 miles per hour (151 km/h). He reached 96 miles per hour (154 km/h) in a showcase for the best prep school talents, and close to 50 scouts attended the first game of his senior season. In his senior year, Cole pitched to an 8–2 win–loss record and a 0.47 earned run average (ERA), while also recording 121 strikeouts in 75 innings.
  In 2008, USA Today named Cole to their All-USA high school baseball team. Baseball America rated him the 17th-best prospect available in the 2008 Major League Baseball draft. He was named the ESPN Rise Athlete of the Month for three consecutive months in March, April, and May 2010. He was named the starting pitcher of the 2008 Orange County North–South All-Star Game.
  After his senior year, the New York Yankees selected Cole in the first round, with the 28th overall selection, of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft, becoming the first player ever drafted out of Orange Lutheran High School. The Yankees were reportedly planning on offering Cole a $4 million signing bonus, which was above the recommended amount for the slot. As the Yankees planned to give Cole a large bonus to sign, they waited until the deadline to attempt to sign him. By the time the deadline approached, Cole and his family had considered many variables, comparing players who sign out of high school to those who go to college, and decided to follow through with his commitment to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) on a college baseball scholarship. Despite being represented by Scott Boras, and though the Yankees were believed to be ready to offer upwards of $4 million, Cole never negotiated with the Yankees, as he was determined to attend college.
caption: Cole pitching for the US national baseball team
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