The Yankees’ rotation has been carrying plenty of weight this season, with Cam Schlittler drawing Cy Young buzz, Max Fried dealing, and Gerrit Cole back in the mix after injury. Cole may not be in the award conversation, but he’s sitting on the doorstep of a piece of MLB history no pitcher drafted No. 1 overall has ever reached.
According to Tyler Kepner of The Athletic, Cole is three wins away from 162 for his career. That would make him the first pitcher taken first overall in the MLB Draft to hit that total.
“Call it Club 162, a victory for every game of a regular season, spread out across a pitcher's career,” Kepner writes. “It's a level Gerrit Cole will reach with three more wins, and it would not be notable except for one curious fact: No pitcher drafted first overall has ever done it.”
That’s the strange part of this chase. The draft has produced plenty of high-end arms, but none of the pitchers selected with the top pick have ever gotten to 162 career wins. Cole is now the one who can break through.
The number itself might sound random at first, but it carries real weight. Winning across all 162 games of a regular season is a tidy way to frame a career, and with 200 wins becoming harder and harder to reach, 162 may be the cleaner modern benchmark for elite longevity.
If Cole gets there, it would happen during the remainder of the 2026 MLB season, and it would put him in a class all his own among first-overall pitchers. He also had a pretty direct reaction when Kepner brought it to his attention.
“That's wild. That's wild. That's kinda neat, I've got to be honest.”
He came close to missing out on the chance entirely. Mike Moore, the 1981 first overall pick, finished with 161 wins, just one shy of the mark.
Other top picks have piled up strong careers too, including David Price, who ended with 157 wins. But right now, Cole is the only one with a realistic path to 162, while Paul Skenes and Casey Mize remain far behind.
Cole should have the runway to get there. He’s expected to make at least three more starts in August, with all of September still ahead of him. Three more wins would be enough to lock it up, and if he gets them, he’ll add a rare line to a résumé already full of them.
In Other News...
Yankees May Already Be Eyeing Ryan McMahons Long Term Replacement
The Yankees have already started doing homework on the next wave of international infield talent, with scouts recently getting a look at Hanshin Tigers third baseman Teruaki Sato. It is the kind of long-range planning that makes sense for a club trying to keep its roster options open, especially with third base still a position worth monitoring after Ryan McMahons uneven offensive season.
Sato has given plenty of reasons to draw interest in Japan, with an MVP season in 2025 and another year in which he sat near the top of the Central League in several offensive categories. His name figures to stay on the radar for MLB teams going forward, and for the Yankees the appeal is obvious: if they are already thinking past McMahon, this is the sort of bat that could eventually become part of a longer-term answer. [Read more 🡒]
Derek Jeters Latest Move Feels Exactly Like His Post Yankees Plan
Derek Jeter keeps finding new ways to stay connected to big stages, just not necessarily the one he once owned at Yankee Stadium. His latest move has him joining ALUM, a newly launched luxury hospitality and real-estate company aimed at major college towns, where he will serve as an investor, board adviser and brand ambassador. The companys early focus is on building luxury condo-hotels and private membership clubs near major campuses, with Tuscaloosa, Alabama, set to be the first project.
For Jeter, the appeal appears to be more than putting his name on a venture. He said he wanted a deeper role than a standard endorsement, one that lets him help shape the companys growth and fit into its long-term vision. It is a familiar post-playing pattern for Jeter, who has steadily leaned into ownership, branding and business roles that give him a voice well beyond the box score. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Judge Is Expanding His Profile Well Beyond The Yankees
Aaron Judges footprint is stretching well beyond the outfield, and his latest move puts him in business with one of the most recognizable figures in sports. Judge has joined Tom Brady as an investor in CardVault, the retail brand and online marketplace built around sports and trading cards, adding another layer to a profile that already reaches far past Yankee Stadium.
CardVault, co-founded by Brady, has grown to 17 stores and is aiming much higher from here, with a long-term target of 100 locations. Brady and co-founder Ed Kane have both pointed to the collecting worlds community appeal and steady growth, and Judges involvement gives the company another marquee name as it tries to keep riding that momentum. [Read more 🡒]