Phillies' Cole Hamels ponders possibility of being an All-Star
Cincinnati is home to some of lefty's greatest successes, and he could add to it as a pitcher in Midsummer Classic.
CINCINNATI - Ryne Sandberg, who went to 10 All-Star games in his Hall of Fame career, sat in the visiting dugout at Great American Ball Park yesterday afternoon and took a few seconds to digest the question.
Cincinnati will play host to the 2015 All-Star Game on July 14. Who will be the Phillies' representative?
"I'd say Cole Hamels. I'd say [Jonathan Papelbon]," Sandberg said, when asked for candidates. "[Aaron] Harang. Possibly a Freddy Galvis."
The third round of balloting results came in earlier in the day, and, for the third straight week, no Phillies were among the top five vote-getters at any of the infield positions, or at catcher, or in the top 15 among outfielders. Pitchers are voted in by players and managers.
Hamels would be an interesting choice for a couple of reasons.
He could be the biggest name in baseball next month, with the trade deadline coming only 17 days after the All-Star Game. And Cincinnati is the home of his major league debut and his 2010 postseason shutout, and it's the place he was undefeated (with a sparkling 1.09 ERA) in seven starts before Monday night, when he and the Phillies suffered a 6-4 defeat to the Reds.
"It comes down to a vote, so you have to put up the numbers," said Hamels, who said he hasn't given any thought to returning next month. "There are a lot of good guys that are pitching very well, so, you just have to grind it out. And if it happens, it's an absolute honor.
"But you really do have to deserve every bit and every vote. It's not a popularity contest, like some of the other guys get to have the luxury of. Pitchers, I think, are the true All-Stars when they get voted in."
If Hamels is the Phillies' representative - every team in baseball must have at least one player, and a last-place team rarely gets more than one - he could also face a circus-like atmosphere of nonstop questions regarding trade scenarios and destinations. Roy Halladay went through that six summers ago in St. Louis, when he started the All-Star Game for the American League.
But, with about a month left before rosters are announced, Hamels probably isn't the Phillies most deserving candidate. Papelbon, who also could be traded before the July 31 deadline, arguably has a more impressive 2015 All-Star resume.
Papelbon has 12 saves, seven behind National League leader Trevor Rosenthal entering last night; seven NL closers have more saves.
But Papelbon is a perfect 12-for-12 in save opportunities. Among NL closers with at least 11 saves, only Papelbon and Milwaukee's Francisco Rodriguez have yet to blow a save.
Among 12 NL closers with at least 10 saves, only Rodriguez, Drew Storen and Jeurys Familia have a better WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) than Papelbon's 0.92. Papelbon's 4.83 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks sixth among NL relievers and second among closers (only Storen's is higher).
"I'd say he's been our most consistent performer day in and day out, doing his job," Sandberg said. "If you look at what he's done with the opportunities and the quality of it."
Hamels, meanwhile, ranks 18th among NL starting pitchers with a 3.19 ERA. He's first in innings (87 1/3), but 17th in WHIP (1.15) and 27th in strikeout-to-walk rate (3.03).
Harang, who has never been an All-Star, entered last night's start in Cincinnati eighth in the NL in ERA (2.45), 11th in WHIP (1.06), and 30th in K/BB rate (2.70).
Galvis, whose impressive five-week run to begin the season probably put him on Sandberg's list, is not a realistic candidate. He entered play last night hitting .264 with a .618 OPS.
Speed kills
Billy Hamilton, who leads all major leaguers with 25 stolen bases, was not in the Reds lineup. He is dealing with a minor hand injury, manager Bryan Price said.
It was a break for the Phillies, who saw the Cincinnati speedster score the go-ahead run on Monday night from third base when catcher Carlos Ruiz threw to first for what he thought was a dropped third strike. Hamilton has stolen four bases in four games against the Phils in the last 10 days.
"He creates a lot of attention, not only with the pitcher, but with the infielders. The pitchers are having to do more things more often and then deliver a pitch," Sandberg said. "There's a certain amount of concentration a pitcher has to have to accomplish that and still have the quality going to home plate. And then you have the infielders cheating more, being out of position just to hold him . . . Those are all the little things he creates when he gets on base."
The Phillies have their own speed threat developing at Double A. Centerfielder Roman Quinn, 22, is hitting .301 with a .349 OBP at Reading, where he leads the Eastern League in stolen bases (28 in 38 attempts) and triples (six), and was tied for fifth in total bases (92) in 55 games.
"Quinn has been impressive," said Sandberg, who has watched some Reading games on video. "He has some of that ability."
Quinn could represent the Phillies here at next month's All-Star Futures Game, the annual showcase of the game's best prospects held Sunday, July 12, at Great American Ball Park.
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