A.J. Cole, Pitcher

Date of Birth: 1/5/1992
Birthplace: Winter Springs, Florida

A.J. Cole, pitcher, was drafted by the Washington Nationals in 2010. After two years in the Nationals' minor league system, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics in December, 2011. He spent a year in the Athletics' minor leagues before being traded back to the Nationals on January 16, 2013.

Cole pitched in 98 games in the minors from 2010 through 2014. During that time, he had a 33-25 record with 504 strikeouts to 119 walks.

Cole joined the Nationals for just three games in 2015. He also pitched in 21 games in the minors.

In 2016, Cole pitched in 22 games in the minors and 8 games with the Nationals. In the games with the Nationals, he pitched 38.1 innings and he had a 5.17 ERA, 1 win and 2 losses, and 39 strikeouts to 14 walks.

Cole spent most of the 2017 season in the minors. He pitched 52.0 innings in 8 games as a starter and 3 games of relief with the Nationals and he had a 3.81 ERA. He had 3 wins and 5 losses and 44 strikeouts to 27 walks. He didn't pitch in the postseason.

The Nationals traded Cole to the New York Yankees on April 24, 2018. He finished the 2018 season with 4 wins and 2 losses, 59 strikeouts to 22 walks, and a 6.14 ERA in 48.1 innings in 4 games with the Nationals and 28 games with the Yankees.

The Cleveland Indians claimed Cole off waivers on January 11, 2019. He spent time on the DL in 2019 with right shoulder impingement. He finished the season with 3 wins and 1 loss, 30 strikeouts to 8 walks, and a 3.81 ERA in 26.0 innings in 25 games.

Cole became a free agent on November 4, 2019. He signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on November 25th. He pitched in 24 games in 2020, and he finished the season with 3 wins and no losses, 20 strikeouts to 9 walks, 1 save, and a 3.09 ERA in 23.1 innings. In the postseason, he had a 54.00 ERA in 0.1 innings in 1 game.

Cole spent most of the 2021 season on the IL with neck tightness and a left oblique strain. He pitched in just 6 games with the Blue Jays.

Cole became a free agent on October 5, 2021.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - A.J. Cole
Baseball Reference - A.J. Cole