Phillies News: Cole Hamels Spotted in Philadelphia Days after Showcase

Cole Hamels was spotted in Pennsylvania on Monday after hosting the Phillies at a showcase in Texas on Friday.

After holding a showcase for interested teams in Texas on Friday that included the Philadelphia Phillies, Cole Hamels was spotted at a Pennsylvania Starbucks on Monday morning.

Coincidence?

The former Phillies phenom hasn’t pitched for the team since 2015, but spent the first decade of his career with them. During that time, the Phillies won five consecutive division titles and their second World Series championship in franchise history. Hamels won World Series MVP for his efforts.

Even after being traded to the Texas Rangers in 2015, Hamels had kept a home in Pennsylvania. Last month, the Delco property and its 10 (?!) bathrooms went on the market. It also boasts a 600-bottle-capacity wine room, in-ground pool and hot tub, pool house, a bunch of fireplaces, and two workout rooms so you get fit like an All-Star pitcher. It was listed for nearly $2.5 million.

The Starbucks in question isn’t far from the property the Hamels put on the market last month, so it’s possible that they’re just there to finalize the sale.

But given the timing of his appearance in Philadelphia so soon after the showcase, Hamels could also be in town to take the house off the market and begin his second stint with the Phillies.

Everyone from the Dodgers to the Cardinals to the Red Sox has expressed in Hamels, but the Phillies have that homegrown advantage. They drafted him in the first round of the 2002 June Amateur Draft, and he compiled a 3.30 ERA over his ten seasons with the club. He currently has the third-most strikeouts of any pitcher in franchise history and is only 28 strikeouts away from topping Robin Roberts on the list.

Manager Joe Girardi gave his emphatic endorsement of Hamels on Friday, saying the former star is a “fierce competitor” who “would be a huge addition.”

With the Phillies now only two games out of first in the division and boasting an over-.500 record, this is the time for Dombrowski to go big. Hamels has a bit more mileage on him than he did when he last pitched in red pinstripes, but if this reunion panned out into their first postseason run since Hamels was first on the team, that’s the kind of storybook moment fans dream about.

In the meantime, inquiring minds want to know: what is Cole Hamels’ Starbucks order?