Who's No. 2? Amaro on Hamels, and his contract
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Who's No. 2? Amaro on Hamels, and his contract
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Two pertinent questions involving Cole Hamels:
1) If the Phillies started a playoff series tomorrow, would he start Game 2?
2) What will happen when his contract expires at the end of this season?
I posed versions of both questions to Ruben Amaro Jr. today. First, his contract. Hamels is in the final year of a three-year extension he signed after the 2008 season. But he can't become a free agent until after 2012. Which leaves several possibilities. One, the Phillies sign him to a long-term deal before arbitration. Two, the two sides end up before an arbitration panel. Three, the two sides come to terms on a shorter deal, perhaps one year, perhaps two or three.
I asked Amaro if it was possible that something happens before the end of this season.
"I don't know," Amaro said. "It's pretty clear that we would like to have Hamels beyond his free agent years here. That's not even an issue. But we'll address it, hopefully at the appropriate time."
As for where Hamels currently stands on the pecking order in the Phillies rotation, Amaro understandably deferred.
"I'll let (the coaching staff) handle that one," he said. "But he's awfully good. He's pitched great. Hopefully we are in that situation where we have those decisions to make. I think a lot of it depends on who has the hot hand, who's been the sharpest, if we get to that situation. But that's so far down the road."
That doesn't mean we can't ponder the question.
Between 2009 and this season, Cliff Lee has made 25 starts as a Phillie. So below are Halladay and Hamels' numbers in their last 25 starts. Roy Oswalt has only started 22 games as a Phillie, so we used those numbers:
| Starter | GS | IP | IP/GS | ERA | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | XBH/9 | WHIP |
| Halladay | 25 | 187 | 7.5 | 2.65 | 8.5 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.97 | 1.054 |
| Hamels | 25 | 170.1 | 6.8 | 2.59 | 9.5 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 2.38 | 0.998 |
| Lee | 25 | 166.2 | 6.7 | 3.51 | 9.4 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 2.86 | 1.194 |
| Oswalt | 22 | 137.2 | 6.3 | 2.22 | 6.9 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 2.35 | 1.053 |
As you can see, Hamels ranks first or second in nearly every peripheral category. He leads the Big Four in strikeouts and baserunners allowed and is tied with Oswalt for the lead in home runs allowed. He is second in innings-per-start, and actually has a better ERA over his last 25 starts than Halladay does (Oswalt's 2.22 through 22 starts is tops).
Halladay is a prototypical Game 1 starter. He is an absolute workhorse, and he rarely lets games spin out of control. He also has plenty of experience pitching on short rest.
Lee has the sizzle factor, given the way he has dominated the Yankees over the last couple offseasons. But Hamels was pretty dominant himself throughout the 2008 run. And who can forget his complete game victory over the Reds in last year's NLDS finale?
Right now, I'd still go Halladay-Lee-Hamels-Oswalt. But there is a lot of season left.
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Great article, Murphy! I was under the assumption that Hamels could walk after this year, thankfully not. It's just a shame the Phils ain't hitting like they did in 07...they'd be up by a dozen games in this division.— kjuggs77
Another question - with the days of rest you can use 3 pitchers except maybe for one or two games. Do you send one of the 4 to the bullpen in the playoffs?— burholme- Cole should be your number one,case closed.— littleman163
- pay him $20M per year for 5 years— shawnmac
- Just realized I transposed my rotation. I'd actually still pitch Lee in Game Two and Hamels in Game Three. Fixed it.— David_Murphy
- Discuss contracts for jocks in the business section— retzlaff
- He's pitching better than any of the others right now but if you tell him that and start him in game 1, it would mess up his head and he'll get shelled. Roy starts game 1 because he'll handle game 1 pressure better. Leave Hamels where he is unless someone is running bad or pitching hurt. Then pay him. Great article, perfect timing.
- The concept that the best pitcher pictches game 1 and the 2nd best game two, etc is based upon faulty logic. The point is to win the series. Therfore, you should pick the best pitcher to beat the other teams pitcher. If I was to face the Phillies, I would pitch my number 4 pitcher against the Phillies number 1. If I win, that is whip cream on top. I would then pitch my best pitcher against the Philles number 2, and my number 2 against the Phillies number 3 - thereby gaining a pitching advantage. The concept of my best against your best is antiquated thinking.— Bobphxville
- "Lee has the sizzle factor, given the way he has dominated the Yankees over the last couple offseasons" Freudian slip? He certainly did dominate the Yankees this past offseason - before signing here!
- Simple really. Oswalt is gone, Hamels gets some of his cash. That wasn't that hard now was it?— twpman
- Actually not so simple. Oswalt may be gone next year, but most of his salary was paid by Houston. And Cliff Lee's salary escalates from $11 million this year to $25 million next year. Having a third starter over $20 million takes "simple" out of the equation as long as we have the albatross contract of a marginally productive first baseman for the next 6 years. — tommy2times
- No 20 million dollar contract is easy obviously. Amaro will get it done Hamels will remain a Phillie. The young studs on the farm will have to produce to make this easier but fill in two young arms at the end of the rotation and have the hitters fill in around the aging core and this team stays competetive. The shot at Howard was low...13 homers 49 RBI and check the book he has 0 errors playing first. Post again when he's carrying this team through September into October yet again. — Phillyphan26
- I think this question is irrelevant. They all rock!— CaptainCrunch
- He's pushing Halladay for #1 slot and will have a solid 10 years in front of him. Signing him to a long term is a no-brainer and should be done quickly.— Northcountry
Let's play at least 5/6 of the season before we worry about setting up the post-season rotation, please. Because we're not starting the post-season for several months, I'm not sure how "pertinent" it is to explore that question with Hamels.— pigday31
