How Cole Hamels motivated the Rangers’ No. 1 draft pick

Cole Ragans had been hoping for the moment for eight months.

Since he was the Texas Rangers’ first round selection in June’s amateur draft, the left-hander was already giddy at the prospect of meeting Cole Hamels in person.

On Tuesday in Surprise, he not only met Hamels, but he also spent the entire day with him.

Ragans, 19, said he was nervous as he walked from the minor league locker room to the one for major leaguers. “But as soon as I met him everything was good, all the butterflies went away,” he said.

Five minutes with Hamels would have been more than enough for Ragans, who studied video clips of Hamels’ delivery in high school. He was told Monday afternoon that he needed to be at the spring training complex at 6:45 the next morning because he was spending the day with Hamels.

“I tried to not act too excited but I was pretty excited about it,” said Ragans, who was drafted out of North Florida Christian High School in Tallahassee.

Hamels was a first-round pick for the Phillies in 2002. He knows what a kid like Ragans is going through during his first spring training. It was Hamels’ idea to invite him over and spend the day together.

“At one point in our career we were just like them,” Hamels said. “Now that they’re at this level, they need to believe in themselves and be confident that one day they’re going to either play with us or against us. You have to get in that mind frame.”

Hamels spent the next seven hours mentoring Ragans. They ate breakfast together. Worked out. Played catch. Had lunch. They even sat together in the Rangers’ dugout watching much of Tuesday’s game against the Diamondbacks. Ragans even borrowed a pair of Hamels’ white pants to fit in better.

“I got to ask him just about every question that came to mind,” Ragans said. “He talked to me about what he did, what he’s done. It was just a great day. He answered every question with a great answer that I understood.”

Playing catch together was a surreal moment for Ragans, made even more cool when Hamels complimented him for his accuracy.

Say what?

“I guess I kept everything around his chest area. I didn’t make him chase a ball or catch a ball at his shins,” Ragans said.

Their discussions ran the gamut: reading swings, certain players, former players, even some non-baseball stuff. Mostly, though, Hamels shared his daily routine and what he believes it takes to be successful in the game.

“That’s the reason why we play the game,” Hamels said. “[We talked about] getting in that mindset and that feel of what it takes to be there with the preparation. Experience will come when you prepare that right way. There are stages and it’s a matter of understanding what the stages are and going out there and actually doing it.”

Hamels, looking around the Rangers’ clubhouse, said there are plenty of young players “aspiring to be successful big leaguers.”

“They’re always going to look up to the guys who’ve had success and been around for a while. And now it’s my turn,” he said.

Hamels’ message got through.

“There’s always something to do. Even if it is something as simple as getting on the bike and riding, getting a little cardio, rolling out on the foam roller,” Ragans said. “You always have somebody watching. They’d much rather see you doing something to get better than sitting in front of your locker on your phone.”

Manager Jeff Banister was impressed with the players.

“Anytime you can teach and give back it allows you to regain or sharpen up some of the things you need to utilize in this game to be good,” he said.

Hamels was impressed, too.

“You see that he has the desire and that’s what you want to see,” he said. “He’s going to have a lot of eyes on him being a top pick but at the same time he’s going to have to do what everybody else does and move up the ranks and prove himself. I think he definitely has what it takes. He’s on the right path and has the right mindset. It’s good to see that.”

Up next

vs. Athletics, 2:05 p.m. Thursday, Hohokam Stadium, Mesa

Rangers probable pitchers: RHP Mike Hauschild, RHP Dillon Gee, LHP Dario Alvarez, RHP R.J. Alvarez, RHP Jose Leclerc

A’s probable pitchers: RHP Jesse Hahn, RHP Raul Alcantara, RHP Frankie Montas, RHP Ryan Madson, RHP John Axford, RHP Trey Cochran-Gill, RHP Heath Fillmyer.

This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 3:52 PM with the headline "How Cole Hamels motivated the Rangers’ No. 1 draft pick."