Yankees Ace Named All-MLB First Team Pitcher

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole added another award to his impressive 2023.

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole added to his awards for the 2023 season, as he was named an All-MLB First-Team starting pitcher on Saturday during the All-MLB Awards in Las Vegas.

Later in the evening, outfielder Aaron Judge was selected All-MLB Second Team.

Cole was part of a first team that included Zac Gallen of Arizona, Blake Snell of San Diego, Spender Strider of Atlanta and Shohei Ohtani of Los Angeles Angels, who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this week.

Cole went 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA in 2023, making 33 starts, and his ERA led the American League. He made 33 starts for the second straight season.

He threw 209 innings, giving up 157 hits, 64 runs (61 earned) and 20 home runs. He struck out 222 and walked 48. He finished with a 0.81 WHIP and allowed hitters to bat .206 against him. It was the second straight season in which Cole held batters below a .210 average.

Earlier this offseason Cole was named the American League Cy Young winner for the first time in his career. He beat out Toronto’s Kevin Gausman and Minnesota’s Sonny Gray, both of whom were named All-MLB Second Team on Friday.

Cole came close to winning the Cy Young twice. He finished second in voting in 2019 with Houston after he went 20-5 with a 2.50 ERA. He was second again in 2021 with the Yankees, in which he had an AL-high 16 wins (16-8) with a 3.23 ERA.

He’s finished in the Top 5 in Cy Young voting three other times. He’s a six-time All-Star and has led the AL in ERA twice.