Philadelphia Phillies: 5 best first-round draft picks in franchise history
By Tim Boyle
2. Philadelphia Phillies best first-round draft pick: Cole Hamels.
One year after taking Gavin Floyd fourth overall in the 2001 MLB Draft, the Phillies went with another pitcher in 2002. This time, they got the pick right. They took lefty Cole Hamels.
Maybe I wasn’t paying close enough attention at the time but I do not remember the same level of hype for Hamels as there was for Floyd. He would make his MLB debut in 2006 and start to show off exactly what he could accomplish in his 2007 All-Star season.
Only a year later, Hamels was helping lead the Phillies to a World Series Championship in 2008. He would win the NLCS and World Series MVP that year. He also happened to toss eight shutout innings in the NLDS versus the Milwaukee Brewers.
Hamels is one of those pitchers I think Phillies fans came to appreciate more after he left than when he was actually on the team. His rough year in 2009 created some doubt in his abilities. However, after posting the 4.32 ERA that season, he would never finish any year as a member of the Phillies with an ERA higher than 3.60.
Nearly everything a player could accomplish was accomplished by him. In his final start for the team in 2015, he even tossed a no-hitter.
In parts of ten seasons with the Phillies, Hamels would finish with a 114-90 record and 3.30 ERA. Not too shabby.