How Fast Did Gerrit Cole Throw in High School?

Gerrit Cole threw a fastball reaching 94 miles per hour (151 km/h) in his high school days.

Cole went to Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, California. Cole pitched for the junior varsity baseball squad his second year and allowed no runs in 45 innings thrown. During his junior year on the varsity baseball team, his fastball topped 94 miles per hour (151 kilometers per hour).

A display for the top prep school talent saw him hit speeds of up to 154 kilometers per hour (96 miles per hour) during the first game of his senior season, which attracted close to 50 scouts. He was 8-2 with a 0.47 earned run average (ERA) in his senior year, striking out 121 batters in 75 innings while posting a win-loss record of 8-2.

As a high school baseball player, Cole was chosen to USA Today’s All-USA high school squad in 2008.  Among the 2008 MLB draft picks, Baseball America ranked him as the 17th-best prospect. When the Orange County North–South All-Star Game was held in 2008, he was selected to start as the beginning pitcher.

When he was taken by the New York Yankees in the first round of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft, Cole became the first player from Orange Lutheran High School ever to be selected.

When it came time to pay Cole’s signing bonus, the Yankees were reportedly prepared to offer him $4 million, which was more than was expected for the position.