CLEARWATER, Fla. — Cole Hamels went from being the man on the Philadelphia Phillies to just one of the guys in a star-studded rotation.
Hamels, 27, was the main reason the Phillies won the second world championship in franchise history in 2008. He was MVP of the World Series and NLCS, going 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five postseason starts.
Now the former ace is a No. 4 starter. That’s no knock against Hamels. He could be the No. 1 pitcher on plenty of teams, but the Phillies have a starting staff that could eventually go down as one of the best in major-league history.
In front of Hamels are Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt. They have three Cy Young Awards, 12 All-Star Game appearances and six 20-win seasons on their collective resumes. After Hamels, there’s Joe Blanton.
So, the lanky lefty has no problem accepting his role.
“I’ve never looked at myself as ever having an ego,” Hamel said. “Just being able to add guys that are good, because I am young, if I can learn from these guys, I feel like I can get better. That’s the whole idea is to get better and compete at another level.”
Hamels, a first-round pick in 2002, reached the majors in 2006 after battling injuries in the minors. He went 15-5 with a 3.39 ERA in his first full season in 2007, establishing himself as the team’s ace and helping the Phillies win the first of four consecutive NL East titles.
Hamels was 14-10 with a 3.09 ERA in 2008 and had one of the most dominant postseason performances in history. The Phillies rewarded him with a three-year, $20.5 million deal.
But success took a toll. Hamels spent the offseason on the banquet circuit, accepting awards, etc. He wasn’t ready to pitch when spring training opened in 2009 and never found his groove. Hamels went 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA that year, and struggled in the postseason as the Phillies tried for a repeat. He was passed over for veteran Pedro Martinez to start Game 2 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium. Hamels then blew a 3-0 lead in a loss in Game 3, and New York took the Series in six games.
Hamels had lost his confidence. He was only 12-11 last year, but that’s mainly because he had poor run support. He had a career-best 3.06 ERA and could’ve won 18 to 20 games if he got the run support. Hamels never complained, though. He said all the right things and showed his maturity. Hamels followed the same offseason routine, and was impressive right from the start this spring.
“He is so far beyond what he used to be in spring training,” pitching coach Rich Dubee said. “His arm’s in that good a shape.”
