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.

Is Mark Reynolds the hottest hitter in baseball?

I'd say so. Looking at Mark Reynolds' statline the last 10 games, You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone close (8 R, 8 HR, 13 RBI, 2 SB, .381 BA). He's completely on fire right now and overall he's been one of the biggest surprises this season. While maturing into a more disciplined hitter, he's also become a 5-category stud for the Arizona Diamondbacks, adding 20 SB so far this season.

The power was certainly there last season (28 HR, 97 RBI), but the batting average was crippling (.239 BA) and left most fantasy managers wondering if the trade-off was worth it. Well, what a difference a year makes. He's already surpassed last years HR total with 36 HR so far and still has 50 games remaining in the season. Not only that, but the batting average has come way up from last year and is now a very respectable (.290 BA). With that kind of power production, the 20 SB's are really just icing on the cake.

Having just turned 26-years-old, it's hard to bet against him carrying this success into next season and beyond, but nothing's ever that simple. For now, all we can do is sit back and watch what happens.

Fantasy Impact: Another young hitter with a lot of potential. With a current Yahoo fantasy ranking of 4, there's just about a zero chance of him being available in your league, other than via trade. In keepers leagues he's an intriguing option, but would probably come at a steep price. It's hard to argue with the production so far this season, but I also wouldn't be surprised to see the BA dip back down to mid-200's next season and the SB's go away as he becomes more entrenched in the middle of the D-Backs lineup.