Cole Hamels had his final tune-up this afternoon before he will make the first Opening Day start of his career on April 1st against the Braves. Hamels was sharp in his brief outing against the Tigers today, as he faced off against Justin Verlander. Hamels tossed three shutout innings, while allowing one hit and one walk. On the day Hamels also struck out three as he finalized his Grapefruit League ERA for 2013 at 0.95. The Phillies managed to squeeze out four runs and win the game by a score of 4 to 1. After the completion of a strong Spring Training for the Phillies left-hander, Hamels appears poised to compete for the NL Cy Young in 2013.
While Hamels has already pieced together some solid numbers in his young career, things were not always as smooth as they have been the past few seasons. Hamels, the seventeenth overall pick in the 2002 draft, was highly touted to start his minor-league career. After quickly rising to the top of the Phillies prospect list, Hamels faced a few setbacks from injuries in 2004 and 2005. In a sign of his lack of maturity, Hamels broke his pitching hand in a bar fight before the season in 2005. After recovering from his injuries, Hamels sped through the Phillies farm system, and made his major league debut for the Phillies in May 2006. At age 22, Hamels collected a solid rookie season, winning nine games and pitching to a 4.09 ERA. Over the next two seasons, Hamels would evolve into one of the top left-handers in the game, and led the Phillies to the 2008 World Series. After winning the World Series MVP in 2008, Hamels appeared destined for stardom.
In 2009, things began to get away from him, however, as he was unable to match his previous seasons success, and finished the season with 4.32 ERA. Hamels struggled on the mound and much of it seemed to be mental. Hamels lacked poise on the mound, and often threw fits when a teammate made an error, or things did not go how he wanted them to. Perhaps it had to do with the acquisition of Roy Halladay before the 2010 season, or maybe Hamels was finally maturing at age 26, as he bounced back and again showed the promise he once had. In 2010, Hamels pitched to a 3.06 ERA, before having a 2.79 ERA in 2011, and 3.05 ERA in 2012. Hamels has found consistency over the past few seasons, and has been an all-star each of the last two seasons. In 2013, Hamels will enter the season as the Phillies top ace.
After signing a six-year deal last July that will keep him in a Phillies uniform for the distant future, Hamels is poised to compete for the Cy Young in 2013. The 29 year-old is the proud owner of possibly the best change up in the game, and appears to have finally moved past the mental blocks that have plagued him in the past. Over the past few seasons, Hamels has truly matured, and is a better pitcher because of it. He will lead the Phillies from the mound on Opening Day for the first time in his career on April 1st, and it seems very likely that 2013 could be his strongest campaign yet. After a solid spring to follow up a great 2012, Hamels could just now be hitting his prime, and will be one of the top candidates for the Cy Young. So allow me to start the campaign. Vote Hamels for 2013 NL Cy Young, a change up you can believe in!
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