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2008 An ace in the making, Hamels has yet to overcome the dual hurdles of health and consistency to realize his full potential. Last year he turned in a quality start a little over half the time, which isn't bad but falls short of the elite level (Jamie Moyer had a similar success rate, as did Barry Zito). On any given day, Hamels might give up five runs on nine hits in six innings, as he did on April 14, or allow just one run in a complete game while striking out 15, as he did in his next start on April 21. He missed a month beginning in mid-August due to a strained left elbow. Add in the injuries of previous years, and it's clear the crucible of Hamels' early career will be staying on the mound long enough for that consistency to come. 2007 Faberge eggs, china dolls, ice sculptures, Cole Hamels. If this were that pyramid gameshow, the category would be, `beautiful things that are fragile.` Hamels pitched a full season last year for the first time ever, starting 31 games. No young pitcher is totally in the clear, but most of Hamels`s injuries haven`t been from pitching: he broke his arm in high school playing football, and broke his hand defending a teammate in a fight prior to 2005. The bulging disk in his back is more worrisome, but he was able to work around it all year. Missing out on the minor league innings may be a developmental negative and a health positive; like Chris Capuano, Hamels matured physically with less wear and tear on his arm. PECOTA`s comparables are cold. Righetti`s career as a starter ended after 76 starts due to a move to the bullpen; Bennett had a short and mostly ineffective career; Blue was terrific early but burned out quickly due to overuse and drug abuse; Wilson pitched two no-hitters for the Astros but killed himself on the eve of his 30th birthday. We imagine the Phillies would be more than happy if Hamels were to equal Blue`s three 20-win seasons by age 25. Hamels is 23 now, so he`d better get started. 2006 The talented Mr. Hamels seems to be something of a hardball Jekyll and Hyde case. On the field, his poise and his three plus pitches draw universal raves. Off the field, the 22-year-old seems to be an accident that is not only waiting to happen but is compelled to happen by some invisible, malevolent force. After missing most of 2004 with elbow problems, he strained his back in the Fall Instructional League. Then he broke a metacarpal bone in his hand in a bar fight in February, making him hors de combat until June. It was later reported that Hamels instigated the brawl, and was not provoked, as he had spun the story. This brought up the old rumors that his famous broken arm in high school did not occur in a pickup football game, but was really the result of a fight. He was shut down in midseason after just six appearances in Clearwater and Reading. All of this has given the Phillies a migraine, but they`re gritting their teeth and preparing to send Hamels to Double-A to start 2006. The hope is that he will advance quickly to Triple-A and perhaps even the big tent before the end of the season. 2005 Asking anyone who might know better for straight information about Cole Hamels' left elbow is about as useful as asking Karen Hughes for her take on W.'s performance in the Presidential Debates, so let's just report the facts as we know them:
- Cole Hamels' left elbow was born in San Diego, California Dec. 27, 1983.
- While playing in a pickup football game during his sophomore year of high school, Hamels slammed into a parked pickup while attempting to catch a pass. The arm was moderately sore, but the extent of the injury was unclear, and Hamels continued pitching with it. Three weeks later, his arm snapped while he was throwing a fastball, and Hamels found that he had broken his left humerus bone. He skipped his junior season, but pitched exceptionally well in his senior year, prompting the Phillies to take him in the first round of the 2002 draft.
- The Phillies cancelled plans for Hamels to try out for the US Olympic team in October 2003 after he suffered back spasms during his instructional league stint. There were no reported complications with his arm.
- Hamels appeared in three games during spring training this year, and was highly impressive, striking out nine batters in seven innings. Hamels was optioned to minor league camp, as was expected, on March 19.
- On April 7, the Phillies announced that Hamels had undergone an MRI on his elbow and was going to miss the first month of the minor league season. The announcement referred to the injury as "mild soreness" and did not disclose precisely what the MRI had found, but its results were negative. The injury was later reported to be tendonitis.
- Hamels was assigned to Clearwater from extended spring training May 17. He made four starts between May 20 and June 4 and was very effective, striking out 24 batters and compiling a 1.13 ERA.
- Hamels missed his next turn in the rotation for Clearwater with what was described as an inflamed left elbow. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the injury was separate and distinct from his tendonitis. He was initially shut down for seven to 10 days and later was placed on the minor league DL. Reports in July said that Hamels was not feeling any discomfort, but put his timetable several weeks away. He did not return to action before Clearwater's season ended Sept. 2.
- Hamels was assigned to the Florida Instructional League in October, and was reportedly throwing well.
There—that's what we know. All of that stuff is available publicly, though it takes a bit of digging to get it. We're not going to try and spin it or interpret it. Obviously health is the key issue here, and obviously people have a disposition toward panic when it comes to valuable baseball players, and especially prized pitching prospects. We're the sorts of people who react to fear by attempting to collect as much information about a situation as possible, and in the absence of complete information, it's at least worthwhile to attempt to prevent misinformation, even if it takes half a page to do it.
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