Monday, July 16, 2012

Week 14: Cole Hamels and Tyler Green

Due to the All-Star break, the Phillies only played three games this week.  And they actually managed to win a series!

The opponent might have been the unimposing Colorado Rockies, but at this point, the Phillies can't turn their noses up at any wins.

Despite the team's poor showing thus far, they still had three players named to the National League All-Star team.  One of those All-Stars picked up where he left off on Sunday with a sterling performance to lead the Phillies to victory.

Featured Phillie of the Week: Cole Hamels


Due to his impending free agency, Cole Hamels has been the subject of multiple trade rumors.  While he might not be a Phillie through the rest of the season, the team is certainly glad that he is currently on the team now.

Hamels pitched one scoreless inning in the All-Star game, helping the National League to a shutout victory.  He followed that up with a brilliant performance on Sunday.

Hamels pitched eight innings, giving up only one run on six hits.  He struck out seven Rockies, and with five runs of support behind him, the Phillies came away with one of their easier wins of the season.

Now the question is: Was this Hamels' last start as a Phillie?  While the team would certainly love to re-sign him, it will certainly take a long, expensive contract to do so.  If he reaches free agency, he'll have no shortage of teams bidding for his services.

Considering the Phillies hopes of making the playoffs this season are slim, many want the team to trade him, and pick up some good prospects in return. 

Personally, I would keep him and do whatever it takes to sign him to a new contract.  With so many expensive players already signed for 2013, it doesn't make sense to start a rebuilding phase.  The team should still be in "win now" mode, and the team obviously will have a better chance of winning in 2013 with Hamels, than without him.

Whatever happens, if this was Hamels' last start as a Phillie, he certainly made it a good one.

Ghost of Phillies Past: Tyler Green


In 1995, the Phillies had another pitcher they drafted in the first round make the All-Star team.

Tyler Green was the Phillies first round pick in the 1991.  He instantly became their top prospect and quickly ascended to the major leagues. 

He started the 1995 season in the Phillies rotation, and he lived up to the hype.  He started out with an 8-4 record, and helped the Phillies stay near the top of the standings for the first half of the season.

In the second half, things went quickly downhill for both Green and the Phillies.  His control - never great to begin with - deteriorated, and opponents began to regularly knock him out of games early.

The team lost eight consecutive games started by Green, and his poor performance was the main factor in most of them.  Eventually, things got so bad that the team was forced to drop him from the rotation.

Part of Green's problems may have been due to injury, as a sore shoulder caused him to miss the entire 1996 season.

When he returned the following season, his fortunes didn't improve.  He went 4-4 in 1997 and 6-12 in 1998 to end his career.

Pennant Year Song of the Week


Finally winning a series was a good step for the Phillies.  It is clear that if they are going to climb out of the massive hole they have dug for themselves, it is going to be a slow process.

In that spirit, this week's song is from 2008.  It is One Step at a Time by Jordin Sparks:



Random Phillies Image Found on the Web



This is an Irish themed Phillies flag.  Perfect for St. Patrick's Day!

Final Analysis

While both Tyler Green and Cole Hamels were highly touted prospects, their major league careers turned out quite differently.

Green had one successful half season.  Hamels has already established himself as one of the greatest pitchers in team history.

We can just hope that Hamels will continue to pitch well for the Phillies for years to come.  It would be a shame to see him continue his career elsewhere.

No comments:

Post a Comment