7 years agoWashington Nationals starting pitcher A.J. Cole was named as the team's fifth starter to open the season. Cole was out of options and the only real challenger to his slot was Jeremy Hellickson, who was signed last week. Hellickson will be stretched out for a while in the minors to start the season giving Cole a chance to prove himself. Over three spring starts, Cole has struck out 13 batters over 13 innings, but allowed three runs in four innings on Friday. He also issued an uncharacteristic five walks and punched out three. He was once considered a top prospect and, assuming Friday was an outlier, could be a surprising final-round draft flyer since he'll have the formidable Nationals lineup providing run support for him.--Mario Hernandez - RotoBaller
Source: Chelsea Janes - The Washington Post