Comments on: Hewitt Signs With Phillies

By: Don M

Don M — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:47:25 +0000

Geoff I think your expectations are too high… there are currently 11 guys with ERAs under 3… only three of them have CG-SHO Halladay, Sheets, and Lee.

Hamels, Sabathia, and Shields all have 2 CG-SHO…

It really is rare anymore, especially with the pitch counts they go crazy about.

Active pitchers with a career ERA under 3.00 = 1…. Pedro Martinez… the next closest guy is Maddux with a 3.13…

Maybe he won’t win 5+ CY YOUNGS… or any at all… but until I get a Halladay or Beckett.. I’ll take Hamels as my staff ace and be happy about. Cause there ain’t a whole lot of teams that can do better

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:43:18 +0000

It’s not juts abotu the CG shut outs. He just needs to get his ERA under a 3.00

By: Geoff

Geoff — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:35:00 +0000

when cole gets a no hitter and consistently turns in lower game era’s then hell be a true ace. you need a sub-3 era and a no hitter and a few more compelte game shutouts. then youre really talkin

he can become that, im sure of it. but hes not there yet

By: Don M

Don M — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:31:17 +0000

I agree.. Marcum is nasty.. I thought he was more a bullpen guy, but he’s mostly a starter now. The fact is, there aren’t a whole lot of pitchers out there better than Hamels.

Are there 10+ Definitely!! 20+… i doubt it… If Hamels is your #2 guy, you are looking at a VERY strong team, and a rotation that could match anyone is a short-series.

We need a #2 whether that be Cole, or Bedard, or whoever… to actually compete for a World Series. We are currently good enough to make the postseason again in the NL, and once you get there, you never know. I wouldn’t want to face the D’backs in the playoffs. But i’d take my chances against any other team.

Bedard, Hamels, Kendrick, Moyer, Eaton would make us a very legit team in the NL

By: Geoff

Geoff — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:31:03 +0000

Rich Harden, Justin Duscherer and Dana Eveland are all having seasons as good as or better than hamels. are the last two better? no.

but rich harden is the ace of that staff even if cole hamels is on it

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:29:57 +0000

Actually, I never said there were 3s better than Hamels I said there were 3s as good as Hamels and 2s as good or better. Rich Harden is the A’s 2nd best pitcher this year, and he’s better than Hamels. Lester is as good as Hamels and he’s the BoSox #3. Marcum is better than Hamels and he’s the Jay’s #2. Do I need to keep repeating this?

By: Geoff

Geoff — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:29:35 +0000

I did NOT say MOST Al teams. I said on good AL teams. i might not have said that today though.

By: Don M

Don M — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:26:36 +0000

P.S. im Clay Condrey today, the nasty #12 bullpen man for Phillies who loves huntin-n-fishin. And when my wife has her C-section Im bout to quit the chewin tabacco that I luv so much.

Brett Myers who??

By: CLAY

CLAY — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:24:10 +0000

My arguement isn’t that he’s great…. there are a bunch of pitchers better than him… But when you and Geoff go off and say that he would be the #2 or #3 on most AL teams… you sound like morons.. and you have nothing to back that up.

The true mark of a quality pitcher, as I’ve said before.. is his ERA.

Hamels vs. Hernandez…

Career numbers so far… ERA… Cole is 3.59, Felix is 3.73.

WHIP… Cole is 1.14, Felix is 1.28.

Batting Avg against… Cole is .230, Felix is .257.

Both are very good pitchers. Hamels also has a higher Strikeout per 9 rate, and a higher win percentage.. This got started cause you said there are teams out there with #3′s as good as Hamels.. and you’re dead wrong.

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:07:29 +0000

Don M. You are so biased. No, Marcum. He just got injured. He has a 2.40 ERA. King Felix is younger than Hamels and was brought up younger than Hamels. Look at Hamels career numbers. King Felix is better. Also, Lester is as good as Hamels and he’s the Red Sox #3. You also need to stop talking about wins/losses. IT’s a team stat. Kyle Kendrick is a perfect example of that. He’s 17-7 during his career on the Phillies. He also happens to get a ton of run support. That’s why he’s 17-7. Cole Hamels is 8-5 this year, and has lost like 4 1 run games. He should be 11-3 easily, but he’s not because the run support isn’t there. Hamels would probably be #2 on the Angels pitching staff because he’s a lefty, but only because he’s a lefty. Also, if Hamels was on that pitching staff and there was a healthy Escobar Garland wouldn’t even pitch for them. I’m not saying Hamels is bad by any means, he’s a great pitcher, but he’s not in the top 5 best pitchers like you think he is.

By: Don M

Don M — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:30:28 +0000

Sabathia is a CY Young winner and among the best pitchers of the past decade… so yea he’s better…

Do you mean DUSTIN MCGOWAN on the Blue Jays? Their #2 starter, who is 6-6, with a 4.26 ERA…… is not better the Hamels.

and Felix Hernandez is a hell of a pitcher, and I would love to have him on our team.. but Hamels is better Felix is a career 36-30, with a 3.73 ERA in 89 career starts.

By: Don M

Don M — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:22:20 +0000

Nobody should compare him to Carlton… he’s made like 65 career starts…

But to say that he would be a #2 or #3 on MOST american league teams is retarded.

He would be #1 on the Yankees, O’s, White Sox, Twins, Royals.. possibly Tigers (unless you like Verlander more)… Rangers, and probably Mariners.

#2 over Dice K in Boston, #2 in Toronto behind Halladay, #2 on the Angels behind Lackey, but ahead of Weaver, Santana, and Saunders,

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:19:16 +0000

King Felix is the M’s actual ace. That guy is ridiculous. And yes, Bedard would be behind Hamels, but Sabathia would be ahead of Hamels if we got him.

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:17:40 +0000

My bad meant Marcum from the JAys. Also, totally forgot to put down Dempster.

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:16:25 +0000

I thought Carlton only had a fastball and slider? I never watched him pitch, I’m too young. Regardless he should go talk to Kendrick about developing a sinker and he can teach Kendrick a change up. I compare Cole to Santana. If Cole can develop a slider he’d be a mirror image of Santana.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:16:10 +0000

marmol is a reliever.

By: Don M

Don M — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:15:41 +0000

if they are 100% healthy… Harden is more dominant than Hamels.

But you have guys like Shields… Marmal… KIng Felix (eventhough if we got Bedard, their ace, he would be #2 behind Hamels on our staff)…Garza, Ervin Santana…

Seriously?? All jokes aside…

By: Geoff

Geoff — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:15:37 +0000

i cant stand those comparisons, yes he reminds me of carlton. but steve carlton was the single greatest left handed pitcher of all time. theres no debate about that.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:14:49 +0000

yeah it could. steve carlton, whom cole is always compared to even though hes like half as good, had a wicked sinker and an even sicker slider.

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:12:49 +0000

Cole is top 10 in the NL and would be top 20 in the AL. He’s top 30 over all.