Inside the Phillies: For Hamels, this season has been less fun
Cole Hamels is nothing if not self-aware, and several times lately he has mentioned the difference between 2008 and 2009. Last year, he was a 24-year-old carrying his team through a surprising playoff run. He became an instant icon in Philadelphia, and edged toward national celebrity.
The success carried one inevitable problem: Nearly anything that followed would be viewed as a disappointment. Only by pulling a Harper Lee and vanishing after an early masterpiece could the World Series MVP have avoided letting down the public following last year's ecstatic high.
DAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
Cole Hamels admits that he has not come close to pitching like an ace, and he would love a return to the success of last season.
But the first half of 2009 did not have to be this disappointing. The lefty readily admits that he has not come close to pitching like an ace, and the Phillies know that they have no chance of repeating their success if he does not recover in the second half of the season.
When Hamels shut out the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 4, he appeared to have defeated his early-season inconsistency, but he has not won since. He is 4-4 with a 4.98 earned run average, and the Phillies have won just seven of his 15 starts.
It is not nearly time to think about declaring his season a bust, and Hamels has thrown well in many of his starts. But the pitcher, his teammates, and the city would agree - this year has been no fun. The obvious question is why.
The primary concern with the Phils' fragile ace is always health.
Fortunately for the team, Hamels does not pitch injured. If he takes the ball, he is reasonably healthy. This is perhaps his most admirable quality, far exceeding his ability to win big games. Hamels believes in protecting his career well-being, and he knows that the immature impulse to play hurt leads only to further injury. The sports world would be a less troubling place if athletes on every level took care of themselves as well as Hamels does, and if coaches encouraged them to do so. Concerned about his future in and out of baseball, Hamels would not be pitching if last year's long season hurt his arm or any other body part.
But that's not to deny that his problems could be physical. We all know about the 2008 innings total, which Pennsylvania preschoolers can probably recite by now, along with the alphabet and Pledge of Allegiance.
All together now: Hamels threw 2621/3 innings last season, including the playoffs. That was a 71-inning leap in workload from 2007, when he threw 1911/3.
If you don't know why that's scary, Google "Jim Salisbury," "Cole Hamels" and "Tom Verducci." If you don't know how to use Google, know this: When young pitchers see a dramatic increase in innings pitched from one year to the next, they often get hurt.
Look at the recent postseason heroes who struggled for a year or more afterward, including Boston's Josh Beckett, Detroit's Justin Verlander and most of the 2005 Chicago White Sox staff.
During Hamels' blowout loss in Atlanta Wednesday, his velocity was alarming; after the third inning, his fastball did not reach 90 m.p.h. There is a frustrating middle area between injured and full strength, and Hamels may well be there.
Then there is the issue of maturity. Glaring at the Tampa Bay Rays from the mound last October, Hamels seemed like a fully realized adult, a man in full who had learned to convert nerves and emotion into focus.
That wasn't how he looked June 26 in Toronto during a bad fifth inning. Hamels had pitched reasonably well to that point in the game, allowing just one run, when he struggled in the fifth. He began to lose composure after the home-plate umpire blew a two-strike call during a Kevin Millar at-bat, and Millar later reached base. Hamels was ejected minutes later, and remained too upset to speak with reporters until the next morning.
On Wednesday in Atlanta, Hamels lost his focus during another bad fifth inning. "You have to overcome [being] pissed off and get focused," pitching coach Rich Dubee said the next day. "You might be pissed off that you gave up runs, but you have to be focused on limiting the damage."
Dubee believes that Hamels needs to improve his ability to remain calm and effective during adverse innings. The pitcher's focus in between starts in not a concern, as Dubee remains pleased with Hamels' work ethic and commitment to improving. But he is not as pleased with the pitcher's occasional petulance on the mound.
Hamels has wanted desperately to function as the Phillies' ace during a miserable month, and has failed to provide needed victories. He is learning that, 2008 World Series aside, wins often do not always come when you want them badly.
One of the great pleasures of following a baseball team is watching homegrown players gradually mature. Hamels' development was interrupted by unfathomable glory last year, making it easy to forget that he is still growing, as a person and athlete. Several challenges await him, from trying to pitch better to becoming a father for the first time this fall.
If 2008 provided memorable success, 2009 is offering something even more interesting: A chance to learn if he is strong enough, physically and emotionally, to endure.
Inside the Phillies:
Read Andy Martino's Phillies blog, The Phillies Zone, at http://go.philly.com/sports.
Blog response of the week
RE: Phillies acquire triple-A pitcher Brian Mazone
Posted by EL Zorro 02:51 PM, 06/30/2009
That made me ask, how come the Phillies always get the wrong person? We got Frank Torre instead of Joe Torre, Vince DiMaggio instead of the Yankee Clipper, Ken Brett instead of George Brett. We got Jeremy Giambi instead of Jason, Mark Leiter instead of Al, Mike Maddux instead Gregg and now Brian Mazone instead of Leo. I rather have Leo throwing BPs.
Contact staff writer Andy Martino at 215-854-4874 or amartino@phillynews.com.
