Skip to content
Sports
Link copied to clipboard

Is this jacked, bearded man really Cole Hamels?

Cole Hamels apparently spent his offseason bench-pressing trees in the Siberian wilderness. In a photo recently posted to his Instagram account, the former Phillies star looks like a cross between a power lifter and an Old Testament prophet. While the photo calls attention to his beard, check out Hamels' arms:

Hamels, who has two years remaining on the seven-year, $159 million contract he signed with the Phillies in 2012, is coming off one of the most impressive seasons of his career, a campaign in which he logged 200 2/3 innings with a 3.32 ERA, 9.0 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, and 1.1 HR/9 while pitching in one of the less-pitcher-friendly home environments in baseball. Hamels did struggle in the Rangers' sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays in the American League division series.

Whether bearded or clean-shaven, Hamels has quietly established himself as a guy who could make a serious Hall of Fame case over the next few seasons.

Consider this:

Since 1995, the first year after the strike, four pitchers have at least eight seasons of 200+ innings and an ERA of less than 3.66:

Tom Glavine (8)
Randy Johnson (8)
Felix Hernandez (8)
Cole Hamels (8)

Those with seven: Roy Oswalt, Roy Halladay, Mike Mussina, Greg Maddux.

Among pitchers with at least 2000 innings pitched since 1995, here are the ERA+ leaders:

1. Pedro Martinez 156
2. Randy Johnson 147
3. Roger Clemens 138
4. John Smoltz 136
5. Johan Santana 136
6. Curt Schilling 133
7. Greg Maddux 133
8. Roy Halladay 131
9. Roy Oswalt 127
10. Felix Hernandez 126
11. Cole Hamels 125
12. Jon Lester 124
13. Justin Verlander 123
14. Tom Glavine 122
15. Mike Mussina 120

At this point, Hamels is in that Mike Mussina close-but-not-quite group. A few more years comparable to last year and a Cy Young, and that could be enough.