2009 was a year to forget in terms of record and ERA for Cole Hamels. He came off a year where he was the face of Philadelphia...World Series MVP. He was on top of the world. That offseason, the advertising hype got to him and he was not as prepared for spring training. That is all a memory as he begins his 2010 tonight.
Hamels went 15-5 with a 3.39 ERA in 2007 and 14-10 with a 3.09 ERA in 2008 and 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in the 2008 postseason. He went 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA in 2009 and 1-2 with a 7.58 ERA in the 2009 postseason.
After a shaky 2009, Cole Hamels came to spring training early and worked to add a cutter to his arsenal while improving his curve ball. That did not seem to phase. With a clean slate on his hands, Cole looks to show his full arsenal tonight against the Nationals.
"He's looked unbelievable this spring," said ESPN's Jayson Stark. "Best I've ever seen him in spring training."
Pitching coach Rich Dubee mentioned that Hamels biggest issue was his composure.
"The biggest problem with Cole last year, in my opinion, is he pitched with a lot of anger, with himself mostly," Dubee said. "He's such a perfectionist that you don't pitch with anger and he really wasn't nearly as focused as he was the two previous years."*
He was ejected from his first game, he threw his hands in the air after a teammate committed an error, he yelled at umpires. All of that frustration made Cole lose his cool. That does not seem to be the case this year. In his spring starts if he gave up a homer or a hit, he would just go at the next hitter with the same mindset. The attitude and confidence he has shown this spring will get him a long way in 2010.
The addition of his improved curve and cutter to his already fantastic change-up and fastball should give Hamels more to work with this season as well. The way he confused hitters with confidence in two more pitches this spring gives him more leeway so batters do not always expect the change-up in a crucial situation.
What a lot of people do not recognize is that Cole Hamels was one of the biggest parts of the Cliff Lee deal. The Phillies traded Lee with the confidence that Hamels would rebound to give the Phils that 1-2 punch with Roy Halladay. If he keeps his composure and mixes in that cut and curve, Hamels may return to the dominant form that we all enjoy watching.
With 2009 just a memory in the rear view, Hamels will take the hill against Jason Marquis and the Washington Nationals tonight in the nation's capitol. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05. Make sure to come to Philly Sports Port after the game for an Apter Hours recap.
*Rich Dubee quote courtesy of Phillies.com
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