What happened to Cole Hamels?

Has there been a bigger pitching disappointment than Cole Hamels this season? I don't think so. I guess you could factor Brandon Webb into this conversation as well, but I think it's totally different when you're basically injured the entire season versus being ineffective at your craft. Coming of a World Series championship, the Philadelphia Phillies were counting on Hamels to be the ace of their staff just like he was last year when he won 14 games and posted a 3.09 ERA with 196 K's.

Unfortunately, he's been anything but an ace and has lacked the consistent dominant "stuff" that we've come to expect from him the last couple of years. After being in the Cy Young conversation the last 2 seasons, his statine this year looks more like a middle-of-the-rotation starter (7-8, 4.78 ERA, 119 K) who's struggled with consistency all season. One start he'll be in total control like his win against the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 28 (8 IP, 1 ER, 9 K), but then the very next start against the San Francisco Giants he'll seem completely out of sorts (5 IP, 6 ER, 2 K).

With a little over a month left in the season and the Phillies likely headed back to the playoffs, there's still time for Hamels to turn it around and pitch like the front-of-the-rotation stud that he is. You can bet that some dominant September and October starts will make the people of Philadelphia forget about the long season of mediocrity.

Fantasy Impact: Likewise, a strong finish to the season will help heal some of the wounds of an utterly disappointing first 5 months of the season. If you've stuck with Hamels to this point, then you're really hoping for the payoff come September to justify that 1st or 2nd round draft pick. If you've acquired Hamels via trade or somehow picked him up off of free agency, then there's really nothing to lose in this situation. With only a couple weeks left in the regular fantasy season, a strong finish by Hamels could be just the ticket to securing that Fantasy title.