Gerrit Cole-A.J. Burnett Duo Has Improbably Become MLB's Best in 2015

Quick, show of hands: Who had Gerrit Cole and A.J. Burnett in the preseason poll of "best pitching duos in baseball"?

Put your hand down.

OK, maybe somewhere, there is a ridiculously optimistic Pittsburgh Pirates booster who believed that Cole and Burnett would combine for 4.5 WAR on June 25, per FanGraphs, and own two of the top five ERAs in the National League.

But for those who don't bleed black and yellow, it's something of a shock.

That's not to say Cole and Burnett are undeserving of their success or that they came out of nowhere. Taken together, however, they make for one of the most interesting, unlikely storylines of the 2015 season.

A No. 1 overall pick in 2011, Cole posted a 3.65 ERA in 138 innings last year while making two trips to the disabled list with shoulder and back issues.

Prior to this season, Cole hadn't been a particularly strong first-half performer. Between 2012 and 2014, he posted ERAs of 4.38 and 4.24 in May and June, respectively. Overall, he owned a 3.82 ERA in 127.1 pre-All Star break innings, per ESPN.com.

So, while no one denied his promise or ability, he wasn't on many radars as an NL Cy Young Award candidate. He is now.

"I guess the way I look at it is that we've played really, really well as a unit out there every time I've stepped on the field," Cole said, per MLB.com's Adam Berry. "Whether that has to do with my performance, I'm not quite sure." 

We'll go ahead and answer that for you, Gerrit: It has a lot to do with your performance. 

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Even after surrendering five runs in 4.2 innings in a 5-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday, Cole is fifth in the NL with a 2.16 ERA and sixth with 102 strikeouts in 95.2 innings pitched.

In fact, Wednesday's rough outing marked the first time all season Cole has failed to complete at least five innings and the first time he's surrendered more than three earned runs.

Take away the damage the Reds have done against him, and he's been exceptionally stingy, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Part of Cole's dominance is the result of his slider, which, as Grantland's Ben Lindbergh spelled out, is a pitch that has moved to the center of his repertoire:

"

Leaguewide, the slider is the least contact-prone pitch, yielding the highest average whiff/swing percentage of any offering. Last season, Cole threw more curves than sliders, but this year he’s nearly shelved the former pitch in favor of the latter—seemingly a smart decision, since his curve has gotten far fewer whiffs and grounders from 2014 to 2015. 

"

As good as the hard-throwing 24-year-old right-hander has been, you could make a case that his 38-year-old rotation mate has been even better.

Burnett doesn't have Cole's radar gun-singing velocity or gaudy strikeout total, but his 2.05 ERA is the best among Bucs starters and fourth-best in the NL. 

This is the same guy, recall, who led the league last year in two less impressive categories—earned runs allowed and walks issued—and it wasn't even close.

Now, in his 17th big league campaign, Burnett is looking to do something he's never managed before: play in the All-Star Game.

Pirates hurler Jeff Locke believes he should be there, per Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

"There's no way, in my eyes, A.J. shouldn't be at that game this year," Locke said. "It has nothing to do with this being his final year. This isn't his last year on the Hall of Fame ballot, so let's just get him in. It's not like that. He's definitely earned his way to being in that game this year."

That "final year" talk is a reference to Burnett's preseason proclamation that he'll retire after one more go-round with the Pirates, the club he also played for in 2012 and 2013.

Pitchers	ERA	IP	WHIP	SO
Gerrit Cole/A.J. Burnett, PIT	2.16/2.05	95.2/92.1	1.129/1.213	102/81
Zack Greinke/Clayton Kershaw, LAD	1.70/3.33	100.2/100	0.934/1.040	88/131
Sonny Gray/Scott Kazmir, OAK	1.95/2.70	101.2/.83.1	0.954/.1.200	90/79

Burnett's long and winding career has also featured stretches with the then-Florida Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees as well as a one-year detour with the Philadelphia Phillies.

"This is my last hurrah," Burnett said in February, per Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal. "I'm cool with that."

As long as he's chugging Gatorade from a cooler filled at the fountain of youth, the Pirates would likely be cool with Burnett coming back.

For now, Pittsburgh is content to ride its pair of aces—the ascending stud and the transcendent veteran—toward a third consecutive postseason appearance.

It won't be easy in a division that features the perennially excellent St. Louis Cardinals and fast-rising Chicago Cubs.

Currently, though, at 40-31, the Pirates own the second-best record in the NL, behind only the Cards. And they have the pieces to stay right there.

For his part, Burnett is reflective, a quality Cole, his youthful counterpart, would do well to emulate. 

"Every now and then, I stop, just soaking it all in,'' Burnett said, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale. "When I'm done, I want to leave every last thing out there and never look back."

All statistics current as of June 23 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.