The ace right-hander's fourth season in the Bronx was his best since joining the Yankees, as he made 33 starts and finished with a 2.63 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 222:48 K:BB across 209.1 innings to earn his first Cy Young Award. It's the fifth straight season Cole topped 200 punchouts (the shortened 2020 campaign notwithstanding), though his 27.0 percent strikeout rate was his lowest since 2017. He lost a tick on his fastball in 2023 but still averaged 96.7 mph, and he improved his HR/9 to 0.86 and his HR/FB to 9.4 percent, respectively. However, the 33-year-old had a 3.60 xFIP and 3.43 xERA, which more closely aligns with his performance from the previous two seasons (3.37 ERA) and could indicate a bit of a regression is due in 2024. Still, even if he's unable to fully replicate his 2023 campaign, Cole is a fairly safe bet to be one of the top fantasy pitchers in the league once again. Read Past Outlooks