Thursday, March 25, 2010

Will Cole be King again...Ever?


Will Cole Hamels ever be a legitimate #1 starter? Will he ever be the opening day starter for the Phillies? The past two years 'Bad Load' Brett Myers was annointed the opening day starter and now for the next three years Halladay will rightfully get the nod. My contention is that Cole does not have the makeup to be a true #1 right now.

Hamels obviously has the stuff to be a #1, but I question his mental makeup. I have made up a list of a few criteria I consider essential for an ace:

1. The ability to consistently dominate a game. Not just occasionally but with regularity. This is a necessity.

2. Mental toughness. An Ace must be able to step it up during big games. He must have no fear when he steps on the rubber at any time.

3. On the flip side, he should be intimidating to opposing hitters. They should be afraid. Or if not afraid, there should be some type of mental edge that the pitcher has on them.

4. The most important criteria: They should win, win, win. A low ERA with a 14-14 record does not make one an Ace.

5. Some longevity at the above criteria.

2 comments:

  1. Huge year for Hamels. Last season, it just seemed like he couldn't control any damage. Things seemed to snowball on him. A two-strike hit, a little bleeder somewhere, and the next thing you know, the other team had put up a four-spot. He needs to get back that put 'em away mentality we saw in the 2008 playoffs

    Hopefully he took what happened last year, learned from it, and applies those lessons to this and future seasons

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  2. I think the best is yet to come for Hamels. He is a young ace at 25. He is going to have some good years and bd years before he hits his athletic maturity in his 30's. Phils should stick with him and he would be wise to take notes from the likes of Halladay and Moyers both of whom have a lot more time in the game right now then he does. I think he has the *potential* to be as good as Carlton was if he handles himself right. Of course that's just my humble opinion.

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