Cole Winn Controlling 'Beautiful Drug' In Near Perfect Major League Start Out Of Texas Rangers Bullpen

ARLINGTON — Cole Winn has been one of the pleasant surprises for the Texas Rangers early this season.

The right-hander has been nearly perfect since being called up from Triple-A Round Rock. He hasn't allowed a hit and walked only one, with seven strikeouts in seven scoreless innings of relief. That includes a perfect ninth in Tuesday's 7-1 win over the Washington Nationals.

So, where did this come from? The 2018 first-round draft pick (No. 15 overall) may have found his home as a reliever. As a starter, he struggled with his command with Round Rock in 2022 and 2023, walking 87 and 79 batters in consecutive seasons.

"I think he's just attacking guys. He's got really good stuff," Rangers catcher Jonah Heim said. "When our pitchers and this goes for all of us when they can fill up the zone and throw all their other pitches for strikes, it's going to be pretty tough for any opponent to hit him."

It might just be that Winn's stuff is more suited for the bullpen. Tuesday night, he threw mostly a mix of four-seam fastballs in the mid-90s and a split-fingered fastball at about 86 mph. He also started his second batter with an 80 mph curveball for a called strike. Of his 12 pitches, 10 were strikes. Winn's splitter has improved with advice from veteran teammates Nathan Eovaldi and Kirby Yates.

Manager Bruce Bochy said Winn's stuff has always been good and that the reliever role has allowed Winn to go after hitters more freely.

"In the bullpen, now you become more of a sprinter," Bochy said. "So the biggest thing is they know they're not out there for eight or nine innings, so they let it go."

Another factor could be more mental. For some players, the bright lights of the Majors improve their focus and performance. That could be true for Winn, 24, who was sent to minor league camp early during spring training.

"You see it in a lot of players, position players too," Bochy said. "You're talking about adrenaline too. You get up here, and that's working for you. I've said that's a beautiful drug when you can control it, and he's doing a great job of controlling it."

Winn's fastball velocity is up from a year ago, a fact that doesn't surprise Bochy.

"I think he's always had that. Every year when you're young, it can be a little bit different," Bochy said. "That's not unusual, especially when they come up here to the big leagues. They're amped up."