We asked to AI to pick the better duo out of Astros' Justin Verlander & Yordan Alvarez and Yankees' Gerrit Cole & Aaron Judge
There aren't many better starting pitchers than Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole. There also aren't very many hitters superior to Aaron Judge and Yordan Alvarez. Over the last few years and even still today, one could make an argument for each one as the best at what they do in the entire league. Putting them on each other's teams just makes for incredible talent duos.
The Judge Cole duo has been leading the New York Yankees for the last few seasons, while Verlander and Alvarez (with a brief intermission) have helmed the Houston Astros. We decided to ask AI which duo is better.
Are Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge better than Justin Verlander and Yordan Alvarez?
Google Bard, a popular AI service that we have used multiple times to ask questions and get interesting answers, has its theories on which duo is better and it all comes down to a bit more playoff success.
It's no secret that the Verlander-Alvarez Astros (along with Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker and others) have had the Yankees number recently. No matter what Judge and Cole do, the Yankees can't get past them. That's key for Bard.
Their 2022 run to the World Series is a big turning point in this debate according to the AI. High pressure situations in which Alvarez and Verlander have thrived gives them an edge.
The Ai also appreciated the opposite skills that these two players have. Verlander is, at this stage of his career, a more technical pitcher with pinpoint accuracy rather than overpowering velocity. On the other hand, Alvarez is not a technical hitter, as he crushes everything into orbit. That has the duo with another edge.
Bard did pay tribute to the Judge Cole duo, though. It called them an "undeniably fearsome pair" and it will be very interesting to see these two duos back in action in 2024.
Fortunately, that wait isn't long as the Astros play the Yankees on Opening Day. Presumably, barring injuries, that will be a Cole-Verlander matchup to open the season and put this comparison on display.