Does Cole Hamels Belong In The Hall Of Fame?

Cole Hamels joins fellow Phillies legends Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot this year. It is his first time on the ballot. And while much has been made about the cases for Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels has not gotten much love to make it to Cooperstown. But does the World Series MVP have a case, or will he eventually slide off the ballot like Ryan Howard did?

A lot of people's first instinct is to say that Cole Hamels was very good, but not a Hall of Famer. But he might have a stronger case than you think.

From 2006 to 2015, the 10 years he was with the Phillies, he had the 13th-best ERA among qualified starters. He also has the 3rd most Ks (1921), the 6th best WHIP (1.15), the 11th lowest BAA, the 5th best K/BB rate, and the 6th best WAR.

He had an ERA under 3.1 5 times, and an ERA under 3.p twice. All 5 times came with him starting at least 30 games and pitching at least 200 innings.

That type of availability is another feather in his cap. In a 15-year career, he pitched 200 innings 8 times, at least 190 two more times, and at least 180 another time. He only failed to reach 18 innings 4 times. One of those was his rookie season, where he got a late start. Another was his final year, where he barely pitched. In his prime, Hamels was a guy you could give the ball to every 5th day without fail.

And of course, he had the amazing run in 2008, where he helped carry the Phillies to a World Series, and won World Series MVP. He started 13 games in the playoffs for the Phillies, won 7, and had an ERA of 3.04. Outside of the 2009 playoffs, where he struggled, Hamels was automatic in the playoffs for the Phillies.

Cole Hamels was a top 10 starter during his time with the Phillies. His success gets overshadowed by the existence of Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. But he is top 10, or near top 10, in every category as a starter.

That resume is great, but perhaps not Hall of Fame great. But what gives him an extra leg up is how weak his HOF rookie class is. Outside of the returning names, it is one of the weaker ballots in recent memory.

Returning names like Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones will likely get a big boost. Hamels former teammates Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley will also see a boost. But that is 4 names, and voters can vote for up to 10 names. Voters who feel obligated to use all 10 of their votes will be looking for names to support, and that can help someone like Cole Hamels.

But look at the names in gold, who are on the ballot for the first time. You have a player like Ryan Braun, with an impressive resume, but he has a PED suspension over his head that will kill whatever small chance he would otherwise have. Then there is Matt Kemp, who has some extremely high highs in his career, but has underwhelming career numbers.

The rest of the newcomers hardly have a case at all. Shin Soo Choo and Hunter Pence are nice players, but far from Hall of Famers. The same goes for players like Gio Gonzalez, Daniel Murphy, Nick Markakis, Howie Kendrick, and Alex Gordon.

Hamels is the best new starting pitcher on this ballot. Is he a Hall of Fame pitcher? My gut would say no looking at his resume. But if voters feel the need to use all 10 votes, and they want to include starting pitchers, Cole Hamels and Felix Hernandez are the only options. Hernandez got 20% of the vote on his first ballot last year and will certainly see a bump. But Hamels might get a lot more votes than people think. And there are many voters who don't like to take players off their ballot after they vote for them once.

A combination of a solid resume and being in this weak of a class could make Hamels getting into the Hall of Fame more likely than anyone thinks.