I haven’t seen Cole Hamels pitch yet this year (haven’t even seen a single goddam Phillies game), but here’s an idea I’ve been tossing around in my head for a while: What about turning Cole into a closer? He’s basically a two-pitch pitcher, with a fastball only slightly above average. This is a bad combo for a starter, especially since his changeup is rendered less effective by a reduced MPH differential. But, if he were made a closer, and only had to face a lineup once, the two pitches wouldn’t be a problem. In addition, he’d likely gain a few MPH on the fastball pitching just an inning at a time, giving him the two plus pitches a closer needs. Think Trevor Hoffman’s fastball/change combo (although in his prime he also had a curve, but forget that). There does appear to be mounting evidence that Hamels will never be a top-of-the-line starter; maybe it’s time to see if he can be a top-of-the-line closer?