Former Philadelphia Phillies' Teammate: "Hamels Should be in the Hall of Fame"

Philadelphia Phillies great Cole Hamels has a compelling Hall of Fame case. One of his former teammates believes the four-time All-Star belongs in Cooperstown.

Jack Vita | Sep 4, 2023

Former Philadelphia Phillies' Teammate: "Hamels Should be in the Hall of Fame" /

In this story:

Philadelphia Phillies

Nearly a month ago, four-time All-Star and 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels announced his retirement from Major League Baseball. Now, the conversation begins as to whether or not the Philadelphia Phillies great should be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

There's a compelling case to be made for Hamels, who logged a 59.0 WAR over the course of his illustrious, 15-year career. Hamels, however, never placed higher than fifth in National League Cy Young Award voting, which could be indicative of how he will be viewed by BBWAA voters when his name goes on the ballot.

One longtime teammate of Hamels' feels strongly that the decorated World Series champion belongs in Cooperstown.

"I believe Cole should be in the Hall of Fame," Kyle Kendrick said. "His numbers speak for themselves."

Kendrick pitched for the Phillies from 2007 through 2014. He quietly put together a very nice ten-year career, logging a sub-4.00 ERA in four different seasons, as a valuable member of the Phillies' pitching rotation.

The numbers that Kendrick speaks of? During the ten-year peak of his career, Hamels posted a 127-88 record, 3.26 ERA, 1.156 WHIP, 3.50 FIP and 126 ERA+, while averaging 32 starts and 208 innings pitched per season.

Hamels was also exceptional for the Phillies in the postseason, clocking a 3.09 ERA and 1.059 WHIP over 81.2 innings pitched. His dominance during the Phillies' World Series run in 2008, earned him NCLS and MVP honors, as the Southern California native allowed just seven runs and 23 hits over five starts and 35 innings pitched, good for a 1.80 ERA and 0.914 WHIP.

Kendrick and Hamels go way back. The two pitchers first met in the Instructional League in 2003. Hamels was selected with the Phillies' first round draft pick in 2002; Kendrick was picked in the seventh round of the 2003 Draft.

Kendrick and Hamels came up through the Phillies' farm system together, with Hamels making his Major League debut in 2006 and Kendrick premiering in 2007. They were Major League teammates from 2007 through 2014. There are few people that got as close a look at Hamels' game, when the lefty was at the peak of his powers, than Kendrick did.

"Cole studied hitters, found out their strengths and weaknesses, but also always pitched to his strengths," Kendrick said. "Cole was aggressive on the mound, changed speeds so well and trusted his stuff always. He had one of the best change-ups in the game."

Kendrick spoke glowingly of Hamels as a teammate and friend.

"Cole was a great teammate," Kendrick said. "He was focused, worked hard, always wanted to hang out before and after games, loved talking pitching on the bench. Just a good person."

So what should Cole's legacy be?

"Cole should be remembered as one of the best pitchers of his era, who dominated, loved to compete and was very durable for a long time," Kendrick said. "Cole should be in the Hall of Fame."

Hamels will be eligible for enshrinement to the Hall of Fame in 2026, when he will go on the BBWAA ballot for the first time.

Check out the latest episode of the Jack Vita Show, where we explore and discuss the Hall of Fame candidacy of Cole Hamels in greater detail!

More From SI's Inside The Phillies:

Published Sep 4, 2023

JACK VITA

Jack Vita is a writer and contributor to Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies, and host of the Jack Vita Show, a popular sports podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever podcasts are found. Jack is a 2017 graduate of Valparaiso University, in northwest Indiana. Since completing his degree, Jack has created his own independent sports media outlet (JackVita.com) and podcast (the Jack Vita Show). He has featured prominent guests from the worlds of sports and entertainment including Brian Urlacher, Scot Pollard, Bob Nightengale, Dan O'Dowd, and Survivor icons Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Cirie Fields, Danni Boatwright and "the Dragon Slayer", Coach Benjamin Wade. While studying at Valparaiso, Jack was the school newspaper's beat writer for the Valpo Crusaders men's basketball team, which won three straight Horizon League championships from 2015-2017. Traveling to cover the team, Jack had a front row seat to one of the nation's best mid-major teams, headlined by future NBA Draft pick Alec Peters and coached by NCAA Tournament hero Bryce Drew. Jack hosted a weekly sports radio show and provided play-by-play and color commentary services for ESPN 3 and the university's student radio station, WVUR-FM, 95.1 The Source, covering Valparaiso men's soccer, women's basketball, softball and volleyball. Jack also covered these sports, in addition to men's and women's tennis, baseball and women's soccer for the school newspaper, The Torch. While he was in college, Jack interned for and co-hosted Jewell On Sports, a sports radio program on AM 1050 WLIP in Kenosha, Wisconsin. There, he interviewed various pro athletes such as Ahman Green, Javon Walker and Javier Arenas, in addition to talking sports with the late, great Brad Jewell. Jack also interned for 22nd Century Media, a now defunct newspaper corporation that provided news to the North Shore of Chicago. With 22nd Century Media, Jack wrote post-game recaps, feature stories about local athletes, reviews of local restaurants and compiled the newspaper's "Pet of the Week" and "Athlete of the Week" sections, while providing copy-editing services. Before attending Valparaiso, Jack enrolled at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he studied for two years before transferring. He is a high school graduate of New Trier Township High School in Winnetka, Illinois. You can follow Jack on Twitter @JackVitaShow, subscribe to his podcast, the Jack Vita Show, wherever podcasts are found, and reach him via email at jack@jackvita.com.