How does a 31 year old sinkerball pitcher increase his velocity and become a 30%+ strikeout guy? Driveline, of course! Alex Cobb was the epitome of a back end starter for most of his career. A low strikeout, high groundball percentage right-hander who, when healthy, provided 150 or so innings.
Cobb trained at the same place as Alex Wood during the pandemic. Wood shared the gains he had made with Driveline. Cobb decided to learn more and took the plunge. And now, after three years and turning 34 years old, Alex Cobb is AVERAGING 94.4 mph on his sinker, increasing his velocity each of his last four years. So far in 2022, Cobb is sporting a 31.5% K-rate and a 9.0% walk-rate, good for a 22.5% K-BB. Couple that with a 69.2% groundball rate and you have a dynamite pitcher. These numbers need to be taken with a grain of salt due to small sample size (20.2 innings) but he was flashing this velocity in spring training and made huge strides towards being more of a strikeout pitcher in 2021 with the Angels.
Cobb's metrics scream top of the rotation starter. Greater than 20% K-BB. K-rate above 30%. Sky high groundball rate. Health has always been an issue for Cobb and will continue to be at age 34. However, Alex Cobb is the latest in the San Francisco Giants fairydust pitching rotation, following Alex Wood, Jakob Junis, Anthony DeSclafani, Carlos Rodon, and others finding new velocity, new pitches, and new success.
I would pursue Alex Cobb in redraft leagues and if in contention in dynasty leagues. When healthy, he looks to be a fantasy #2 starter. His health will always be a worry and expecting more than 150 innings will set you up for disappointment. But Alex Cobb has become a monster. And is definitely a fantasy asset (I never ever thought I'd type that sentence).
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