Cole Hamels: Phillies Ace a Serious Cy Young Candidate

Cole Hamels is an invaluable player for the Philadelphia Phillies and a serious Cy Young candidate for the National League this year.

The Phillies are second to last in the NL East, with an under .500 record. They are 18.5 games behind the Washington Nationals who are at first place. So yes, the season is looking bleak for the Phillies.

But, there’s always a silver lining. Hamels is ranked No. 13 among MLB pitchers and is in the race for the NL Cy Young Award.

Jim Salisbury from CSNPhilly.com reported that,

Hamels was brilliant in pitching his second straight shutout in leading the Phillies to a 4-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Monday night…twenty-two consecutive scoreless innings have improved his record to 13-6 and lowered his ERA to 2.91, which ranks among the 10 best in the National League.

Hamels has been delivering excellent pitching for the Phillies despite their poor record this season. Manager Charlie Manuel believes Hamels has great command of his pitching. “He’s commanding the low part of the strike zone and he can go high when he wants to. He has his changeup, his cutter, his fastball,” (via Jim Salisbury from CSNPhilly.com).

According to David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News (via bostonherald.com), Hamels is a strong pitcher set to replace Roy Halladay as the starter in the pitching rotation. He’s already well on his way. Hamels “has logged 22 straight innings without surrendering a run” since August 2nd.

Hamels is a three-time All-Star and was both the National League Championship and World Series MVP in 2008. He’s been a great pitcher for several years now but this could be the year that he gets the Cy Young to put the cherry on top of his stellar career. 

The MLB may have written the Phillies off toward any playoff contention (and rightfully so), but Hamels could give the team one piece of good news. If he keeps up his performance and adds more shut outs, Hamels could definitely claim the Cy Young award.

Hamels is every bit as good as his six-year contract extension implies, and he’s worth every penny. The Phillies signed Hamels to a $144 million contract earlier this season.

Winning the Cy Young award would only confirm Hamels as a smart investment for the Phillies.

He’s got my vote.

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