Hamels on Rangers' six-man rotation: 'You might as well be in college'

Two of the key components for a six-man rotation were on display Saturday afternoon at a sun-drenched Scottsdale Stadium, where Matt Bush and Jesse Chavez made their second outings of the spring.

Bush, looking more like a starter, continued to build his pitch count over 2 2/3 innings as the Rangers' third pitcher of the day, and Chavez entered in the seventh.

Cole Hamels, though, was the Rangers' first pitcher of the day, and no matter how many starters the Rangers have in their rotation, Hamels will top it.

But the plan for a six-man rotation has one big obstacle in front of it — Hamels.

The four-time All-Star isn't a fan of the idea. Not at all. Doesn't believe it will work. He knows it won't.

After 12 seasons in the major leagues, all of them geared toward logging 200 innings, he's not interesting in a taking new direction.

"It's not part of baseball," Hamels said after logging 2 1/3 innings in his Cactus League debut. "I know that's the new analytical side of trying to reinvent the wheel, but I was brought up in the minor leagues on a five man, and that's what I'm designed and conditioned for.

"You throw in the six-man, you might as well be in college — that's what the college guys do, pitch once a week — or go to Japan. That's not what MLB is to me. That's not how I learned from my mentors, and that's not the type of way I'm here to pitch."

Hamels threw 2 1/3 innings against the San Francisco Giants, allowing three runs in a game the Rangers lost 9-4. Two of the runs came on solo homer, and a third scored courtesy of a double that left fielder Ryan Rua lost in the sun.

Afterward, Hamels said that he is pleased with how he feels and how much further along he is with all of his pitches than he has been in past springs. He feels good enough to log 200 innings for the ninth time in his career.

In fairness to the Rangers, they haven't committed to a six-man rotation and have talked about a five-plus-one rotation, and Hamels sees enough quality pitchers in camp to pull off a scenario in which a sixth starter weaves in an out of the rotation.

Just as long as it doesn't weave in front of him.

But nothing about a straight six-man rotation appeals to him, and he has let that be known to club brass. He said it was a few months ago, when the Rangers had the potential to sign Shohei Ohtani and the ensuing need for six starters.

The Rangers might want to clear the air with Hamels, who is their best pitcher and their highest-paid player. He also seems to be as motivated as he has been since joining the Rangers.

An oblique injury limited him to only 148 innings last season, and he is doing all he can to make sure that he isn't injured again. His workouts were designed to keep his muscles and body in balance, and he said that he feels as good as he's felt since 2015.

He threw 212 1/3 innings that season, the final 83 2/3 with the Rangers, and then added 13 1/3 more in the postseason. He trains each off-season to pitch until the end of October, not the end of September.

And he trains to pitch every fifth day and to pitch 200 innings. He did that in seven straight seasons from 2010 to 2016. He believes he's better when pitching on four days' rest, no matter what the fancy numbers the Rangers have might say.

The idea of getting 31 or 32 starts doesn't appeal to Hamels.

"That's still pushing it," he said. "Thirty-three or 34 starts is my design, is my goal and is what I intend to do. When you get on a roll you want to get out there as soon as possible. It can turn into seven days, even though it's a six-man rotation, and that's that I think none of us are comfortable with.

"That's college right there."

The Rangers' plan for a six-man rotation has one big obstacle in front of it.

<extra_leading>

This story was originally published March 3, 2018 at 8:10 PM with the headline "Hamels on Rangers' six-man rotation: 'You might as well be in college'."