Is Phillies World Series MVP Hamels a Hall of Famer?

Earlier this month, Philadelphia Phillies great Cole Hamels called it a career, hanging up the jersey after an illustrious, 15-year big league career.

Hamels had not thrown a pitch in a Major League game since 2020, but signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres in February, hoping to give it one last run, with his hometown team. Hamels, coming off a pair of surgeries, was unable to return to the big leagues, as Father Time caught up with the World Series MVP. While Hamels may not have gotten to ride off into the sunset at the top of his game, the story of his career will present a compelling case to Hall of Fame voters, when his name arrives on the BBWAA ballot five years from now.

Three of Hamels' Phillies teammates recently were up for Hall of Fame induction, and each saw a different result. In 2019, Roy Halladay received 85.4% of the vote, making the late, two-time Cy Young Award winner a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Three years later, cornerstone first baseman Ryan Howard received just eight total votes, falling off the ballot at 2%. Through his first seven seasons, Howard slashed .275/.368/.928, averaging 41 home runs and 123 RBI per season. Howard was certainly on a Hall of Fame trajectory, and had he not torn his Achilles in Game 5 of the NLDS in 2011, the 2006 NL MVP would have probably would have gotten into the Hall without much difficulty, seeing that he likely would not have experienced such a sudden drop-off in production. Howard still could be enshrined into Cooperstown, through the Era Committees, or through the Veteran's Committee.

The same year Howard's name was placed on the ballot, 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins was up for induction for the first time, too. Rollins survived elimination, collecting 9.4% of the vote in 2022, and upping his total to 12.9% in 2023. Rollins could still see induction to the Hall through the BBWAA vote, but it will be a steep climb for the three-time All-Star. But what about Cole Hamels, the MVP of the Phillies' first championship team in 28 years?

At the raw age of 24, Hamels went on one of the great postseason runs in baseball history in 2008, when he allowed just seven runs and 23 hits over five starts and 35 innings pitched, good for a 1.80 ERA and 0.914 WHIP. The Phillies picked up a win in all five of his starts that postseason, including Game 1 and the closeout Game 5 of the World Series. Hamels was awarded both NLCS and World Series MVP honors for his Herculean efforts, as the ace led the Phillies to their second World Series title in franchise history, in dominant fashion.

In the coming years, Hamels continued to establish himself as a proven warrior in the postseason. Philadelphia won five straight NL East division titles between 2007 and 2011. During that stretch, the Phillies won six postseason series and two National League Pennants, and Hamels was a large reason why. Hamels made 13 starts in the postseason for the Fightin' Phils, logging a 3.09 ERA and 1.059 WHIP over 81.2 innings pitched.

Hamels was no slouch in the regular season, either. Hamels experienced a ten-year peak to his career. From his age-23 season in 2007 through 2016, 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. In the prime of his career, Hamels was an ace that could be counted on to toss 200 innings, year in and year out, and the type of clutch performer you wanted on the mound for your team in an elimination game in the postseason.

Hamels racked up four All-Star appearances, and in his final start as a Phillie, the lefty threw a no-hitter at Wrigley Field on July 25, 2015. It was the first time the Cubs had been no-hit since Sandy Koufax's perfect game in 1965, and it was the first no-no tossed at Wrigley since 1972. Less than a week later, with a rebuild on the horizon, the Phillies dealt Hamels and reliever Jake Diekman to the Texas Rangers for Jerad Eickhoff, Matt Harrison, Nick Williams, Jake Thompson, Jorge Alfaro and Alec Asher.

The previous September, Hamels helped the Phillies throw a combined no-hitter to beat the Atlanta Braves. Hamels tossed six innings, but was removed from the game early, having thrown 108 pitches. Earlier that season, Hamels pitched an immaculate inning.

Hamels' career tells the story of a great pitcher that accomplished seemingly everything. He had regular season success. He pitched in several All-Star Games. He had postseason success, won a World Series, and earned World Series and NLCS MVP honors. He threw a no-hitter and an immaculate inning. He was great for more than ten years, and he was a Phillies icon.

The Phillies eventually loaded up their rotation with stars, adding Halladay, Pedro Martinez, Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt, but Hamels was there from the start. Halladay only pitched for the Phillies for four seasons, and the Phillies never won a Pennant with him. When you think Halladay, you think Blue Jays. But when you think Cole Hamels? You think Phillies, and you probably think staple of the Phillies' golden era.

Hamels retires with a career WAR of 59.0. 60 WAR is seen by many as "Hall of Fame" worthy. Hamels is right there. So, what could possibly be missing from Hamels' Cooperstown resume?

Hamels never received Cy Young Award hardware, despite placing top-8 in voting four different times. But should Hamels be kept out because he never received Cy Young honors? Certainly not. Nolan Ryan, himself, never won a Cy Young Award. More recently, Mike Mussina — enshrined in 2019 — and Jack Morris — inducted in 2018 — didn't win a Cy Young Award, either. Bert Blyleven received the same amount of love from Awards voters as Hamels did, and he was inducted in 2011.

Hamels may not have received a Cy Young, but he was everything you could ask for in a pitcher and more. Just ask longtime teammate Kyle Kendrick. The two first met in the instructional league in 2003.

"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."

Kendrick and Hamels came up through the Phillies' farm system together, with Hamels making his Major League debut in 2006 and Kendrick debuting in 2007. They were teammates for eight seasons, through 2014. There are few people that got a closer 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. 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. He should be in the Hall of Fame." 

Padres starting pitcher Michael Wacha summed Hamels' career up nicely, when he was asked about Hamels at spring training by USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

“I even looked up his baseball card the other day,’’ Wacha said. “It’s incredible. The guy is a legend."

A legend, indeed. Legends never die, and Cooperstown is their home.

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!