Cole Hamels was one of the best to wear a Philadelphia Phillies uniform. The lefty was the team’s first-round pick in the 2002 MLB Draft and spent the first nine years of his major league career with the Phillies before being traded during his 10th season at the midseason deadline to the Texas Rangers.
Hamels last pitched in a regular-season major league game in 2020 with the Atlanta Braves. Despite multiple attempts at a comeback, the four-time All-Star called it quits in 2023 and officially retired as a Phillie on June 21, 2024.
Hamels is a Phillies legend who will no doubt be inducted into the team’s Wall of Fame, and he may also have a chance to one day be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Although his playing days are over, the 2008 World Series MVP will take on a new role as a part-time color analyst on the Phillies’ television crew.
Cole Hamels’ broadcast schedule will leave fans (hopefully) wanting more
Former Phillies players like Gary “Sarge” Matthews, Jamie Moyer, Matt Stairs and Jimmy Rollins had spent time in the broadcasting booth calling games after their careers. Most recently, Rubén Amaro Jr., Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt and the always colorful John Kruk have called Phillies games. Hamels will be the next one to get a chance in the booth.
Hamels expects to work one home broadcast a month for NBC Sports Philadelphia during the 2025 season. It will be a limited role, much like how Schmidt joins the broadcasts for Sunday home games.
Hamels is all over the Phillies’ organization. He’s been at spring training, made in-season visits to the minor league affiliates and has a role as a special advisor to baseball operations.
Hamels is a beloved figure in the City of Brotherly Love and will be able to connect with the fans when he appears on the broadcast. The 41-year-old is excited about this new opportunity and embraces the future and what it might bring.
“I’ve learned through a lot of advice, through veterans, is when you get out of the game, you can’t stay away too long,” Hamels said about his new broadcasting role with the Phillies, per Phillies Nation’s Destiny Lugardo. “Things are fast. They’re speeding up. It’s a quick-paced game, and if you’re not around to understand it, you’re gonna lose out, and you’re never gonna have the opportunity to kind of get back in.”
It’s not always an easy transition for a former professional athlete to make the transition to a broadcast booth. Hamels will have a lot to learn and there will likely be an adjustment period, but it’s an exciting venture that will hopefully leave fans wanting the legend to take on a larger role in the future.
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