Multiple factors revived Hamels after Rangers dealt him, but Cubs’ new info ‘sparked me’
Cole Hamels might have had his best spring performance in years Wednesday afternoon at Surprise Stadium, tossing two scoreless innings against the team that traded him to the Chicago Cubs.
Maybe that’s just the Texas Rangers’ luck, or maybe it’s the fitness changes Hamels said he made in the off-season. And don’t forget about the changes the Cubs made with him after the July 27 trade.
The Rangers didn’t forget about them. General manager Jon Daniels called Hamels to see what it was that made such a sudden difference, as Hamels went from pretty bad with the Rangers to the National League Pitcher of the Month in August.
It might have sparked the Rangers’ off-season upgrade of their analytics department and emphasis on research and development. The Cubs’ data made an impact, Hamels said from the visiting clubhouse at Surprise Stadium, but it wasn’t the sole reason he flipped the switch.
“It was, almost, a lot of different parts,” Hamels said. “We were working on some things in my bullpens, and in my games they weren’t translating to success. We were getting on the right page.
“I think the instant throw-you-into-a-playoff-race, there’s a little more at stake and narrows your focus a little bit harder. Plus, finally starting to understand the information the Rangers were telling me and getting some information from the Cubs that was a little bit different might have sparked me in a way that I kind of comprehended it a little bit easier.”
One possible interpretation? The Rangers were almost there, but the Cubs were where the Rangers needed to be. Another? The Rangers couldn’t relay the info to Hamels, and possibly others, in a way that made sense.
Whatever. Hamels holds no ill will toward the Rangers. In fact, he visited his old teammates and athletic trainers and clubhouse guys and cooks and “anyone and everyone” he could pin down.
He couldn’t have said nicer things about the future of the Rangers, beginning with what a haven the new Globe Life Field could be for free agents and how much young pitching talent the Rangers have in the farm system.
Hamels still lives in the Metroplex, so maybe he praised the Rangers so that no one would egg his house. But a lot of good things happened in his career after the Rangers acquired him from the Philadelphia Phillies at the 2015 trade deadline.
His first two Rangers teams won the American League West. The right people are in place, he said, but it just takes time.
“They were phenomenal to me,” Hamels said. “They’re an organization that you really enjoy getting to play for. They have great people. They really do have great people there.
“I saw a lot of those young pitchers that they had in A ball, and they really could put them back on the map. That’s always a hard thing, the homegrown starter, and I think they have a lot tremendous talent down there and they have a bunch of them.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2019 at 4:21 PM.
