That Balls Outta Here
FanSided

Phillies: Top 5 starting pitchers since 1980

By David Esser

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 08: Starter Roy Halladay #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch during the game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on April 8, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brian Garfinkel/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 08: Starter Roy Halladay #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch during the game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on April 8, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brian Garfinkel/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GA – APRIL 01: Cole Hamels #35 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches to the Atlanta Braves during Opening Day at Turner Field on April 1, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – APRIL 01: Cole Hamels #35 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches to the Atlanta Braves during Opening Day at Turner Field on April 1, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

#3. Cole Hamels

While he did in fact break all of our hearts this offseason by signing with the Atlanta Braves, Cole Hamels is the only pitcher in Phillies history to ever win a World Series MVP.

Drafted by the Phillies in 2002, Hamels would go on to have a dominant 10 year career in Philadelphia. This included three trips to the All-Star game, 114 wins, an average ERA of 3.30, an NLCS MVP in 2008, and of course a World Series ring/MVP also won in 2008.

While Hamels never won a Cy Young, or never led the league in strikeouts, the biggest reason the team valued him so heavily was due to his extreme levels of consistency on the mound. Hamels recorded an ERA below 3.40 in six of his ten seasons with the team, and also won at least ten games on six occasions.

Hamels did in fact lead the National League in WHIP during the 2008 season and led the NL in shutouts in 2009.

Hamels’ career as a Phillie culminated in the franchise’s second ever World Series win back in ’08. The team relied heavily on the lefty in the postseason, as he started in five playoff games and won four of them. He posted an ERA of 1.80 across this span, leading from the front as the Phillies knocked off the Brewers, Dodgers, and Rays.

Despite Hamels’ tenure as a Phillie ultimately fizzling out in 2015 (resulting in a trade which has now seen Hamels bounce around the league as a veteran), the memory of him hoisting the commissioner’s trophy back in ‘08 is still very fresh in most fans’ minds.

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