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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Phillies Trade Rumors: Trading Cole Hamels Would Be a Poor Move for Philadelphia

Cole Hamels has been a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies since his MLB debut. Trading him now, after a mediocre start this season, would be a very poor decision for Philadelphia.

The July 31 trade deadline is quickly approaching and the Phillies have a big decision to make: keep Hamels or let him go?

True, his stats have been up and down throughout his time in Philadelphia. His ERA went from an awful 4.32 to a 2.79 last season. And so far this season, he’s jumped back up to a 3.20.

But Hamels has also given a lot to the Phillies. He’s been a popular name for the franchise and built a close relationship with the team and its fans. According to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com, Hamels is interested to see how he does in the market, but would ultimately give the Phillies the first chance to sign him. That would be a wise decision on Philadelphia’s part because should Hamels be traded, the Phillies’ clubhouse would be very unhappy.

Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reported:

“Hamels’ teammate Jonathan Papelbon says he and his teammates understand the business side of the game, but that trading Hamels would still not go over well in their clubhouse”.

Giving Hamels another chance to recover in the second half of this season would be better than creating turmoil in the clubhouse.

Hamels is still a strong player and would be the “premier free-agent on the market” (via Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com) should the Phillies not offer him an extension.

The team is 13 games under .500, has lost 10 out of the last 11 games in what is becoming the Phillies’ worst season in recent memory. So trading one of their high-profile pitchers might not be the wisest move. They could still use Hamels on the mound. Hamels has said he wants to be on a winning team (via Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com), and who doesn’t? Without Hamels though, the Phillies might not see that in the near future.

The Phillies should keep Hamels in red pinstripes for a little while longer.

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