Has Hollywood Hamels shown his true colors?

Cole Hamels called the Phillies’ $500,000 contract renewal a “low blow” and said he was expecting a couple hundred thousand more, continuing a trend of wants and needs expressed by the 24-year-old left-hander.

The Phillies renewal was right in line for a player of his service time and comparable to other pitchers with similar achievements, but it wasn’t enough for Hamels, who feels disrespected by the club and suggested he would remember the slight down the road, implying free agency. A confident competitor who believes he can become one of the all-time greats, Hamels expressed his displeasure with the club last season for choosing not to hire a chiropractor to deal with his chronic back problems. The team eventually caved and hired one.

Beerleaguer: The sports world is filled with selfish Narcissists, only most of them have the good sense not to pop off like Hamels did. He isn’t the first talented player to gripe about a low-figure contract renewal, and he won’t be the last, but his impatience and behavior, in this case, are particularly alarming. It irks me.

In one-and-a-half seasons, the talented left-hander isn’t shy about telling the world about the kind of player he hopes to become. When it comes to Hamels, Hamels has no filter. What’s bothersome is his perception of a team and what it means to be part of one. He has a funny way of asking what the Phillies can do for him and not the other way around. One wonders whether being part of the Phillies means anything to him, other than a means to achieve personal glory.

Phillies, Yankees play to 7-7 tie: Hamels didn't do much to help his case yesterday in Tampa, where he was victimized by the long ball, charged with four runs in just two innings in his 2008 spring debut. Hamels gave up a three-run homer to Jason Giambi in the first inning and a solo shot to Jason Lane in the second. The Yanks added two more runs off Fabio Castro in his two innings. The Phils battled back including a home run by Pat Burrell in the sixth to cut the lead to 6-5. Top prospect Carlos Carrasco was impressive again, going three scoreless innings, giving up three singles, no walks , and recording three strikeouts. The Phils took the lead in the eighth with RBI singles by non-roster invitee Brandon Watson and Greg Golson. Golson also made a spectacular diving catch in centerfield.  Lincoln Holzkom was charged with the blown save by surrendering the tying run in the eighth inning. – Billy Mac

Game chat: Phillies take on the Pirates today at 1:05 p.m. Discuss it here.

Comments

[Crazy Jon]

Memo to Cole Hamels: stay healthy for a full season and then we'll talk.
Until then, shut up and be happy that you got a raise.

[Lake Fred]

I think Hamels has every right to gripe. He's the Phillies Ace and they are not even paying him No Hit Nunez money. Boo to the Phillies. In the grand scheme of things, what's a couple of hundred thousand dollars? Nothing. Pay him the money.

[clout]

I want to repost ae's post from the last thread here beacuse I think it's a very sensible take on this issue:

"I agree that the Phillies' insistence on following slot is hurting them as a team. but I don't think their actions with Hamels this year or with Howard last year are in any way out of the ordinary for a baseball team to operate.

breaking slot gives you a tangible, measurable benefit - better young players. paying a second-year player more money doesn't give you any benefit at all except some theoretical good will on the player's part. but I don't see that getting you anywhere as a team. I don't think there's any reason to believe that Howard would have gone easy on the franchise in arbitration if only the Phillies had given him $950k or $999k last year instead of $900.

Posted by: ae | Monday, March 03, 2008 at 08:11 AM

[fuzzycopper]

Great. Just great.

Granted, it's way too early to predict with even an iota of certainty how this will impact his future with the club, but it's starting to look like another young (and very good) player is living on borrowed time within the organization.

[kdon(in Brussels)]

"He's the Phillies Ace and they are not even paying him No Hit Nunez money."

LF, you can't look at it this way, it's all about service time.

You can gripe about "the system", but that system also rewarded Hamels with $2M dollars out of high school. So basically, before the guy had ever thrown a professional pitch, the Phillies provided him financial security for the rest of his life.

The trade off for that is a few years of indentured servitude, collectively bargained by a union not exactly known for being soft.

If he has a problem he should talk to Tom Glavine and Donlad Fehr, not the Phillies.

[Tony]

i think he is being a whiny bitch and disrespecting both the team and the system that the players union wanted put in place. he is getting more money then all his comparables, including Wang last year (so no argument can be made about the time difference) from the yankees, who we all know have more money than bonds has had steroids.

[UD Hens]

Does anyone know how much Cole received as a signing bonus for benig a #1 draft pick? I assume it was at least $1MM.

[UD Hens]

* benig = being

[Gaze]

Maybe they would have offered him that extra $250K if they didn't have to spend that money on a team of chiropractors and doctors employed just to cater to Hamels needs.

[kdon(in Brussels)]

UD, $2M according to Cot's.

[Lake Fred]

kdon, I understand your point, however, his past earnings including signing bonus, should have nothing to do with what he deserves to get paid now. The Phillies are worried about pinching nickels to avoid big future bucks. We need a happy contented Hamels, not an angry head case Hamels.

[kdon(in Brussels)]

Or maybe we need a pissed off Hamels, who feels he needs to prove himself every day.

Unless he is going to pull a Derrick Bell ("Operation Shut Down") and cost himself millions of dollars, this won't even begin to effect the Phillies for 4 years.

[Bill]

Is this the same guy complaining that wore a long sleeve t-shirt in 85 degree weather in his first playoff game and lost?

[Lake Fred]

I read where Shane Victorino signed a split contract for 2008. What's a split contract?

Let's boo him out of town...that always works!!!!

[Lake Fred]

Hamels can always quote what his stable mate Eaton Crap said recently: "everyone is not worth what they're getting paid."

[kdon(in Brussels)]

LF,

It means he gets paid less if he is sent to the minors. I think it's somewhere around 280K, as opposed to the 460K he gets in the majors.

It's pretty common for players of his service time. Hamels has one too.

[Willard Preacher]

Cole is about to see what happens when a Philly-based player ticks off the entire fan base. Perhaps he should ask Pat Burrell for some pointers on how to perform with the "home town degree of difficulty." He'd be best served to shut up and pitch.

Oh, and clean up those damn grass clippings!!

[Andy]

Alby, ae, clout - I'm on board with the unwillingness to pay draft picks over slot. I understand that Workman is looking good. (My fear is that in 3 years the Braves will draft him and two years later, he'll destroy us.) Maybe, if Sampson shows some stuff, they'll change how they view paying over slot.

By the way, I know others have, but I want to thank Billy Mac for the on-going eyewitness accounts. Very nice side benefit of the beerleaguer experience. (Gosh, I sound like a HS cheerleading coach.)

[Andy]

In re: Cole
Part of me wants to say, "Shut up and pitch."
Another part of me looks at how the FO has handled communication and relationships with players (at least as far as what's been reported) and wonder if they are not partially at fault.

'course, apart from morale, if Hamels is distressed about his pay, it won't come back to bite them any time soon. But they may have to be ready to trade him away for a Gomez-Guerra type package the year before he walks.

(Of course, given Phils' history, it might be more of a Sanchez-Monasterios type package.)

[Lake Fred]

I don't understand all the vitriol against Hamels in this thread. You may or may not agree that $500,000 is a fair salary, but why these comments?

Willard says: "Cole is about to see what happens when a Philly-based player ticks off the entire fan base." Why are you ticked off?

Tony says: "i think he is being a whiny bitch." Very articulate.

Crazy Jon: "stay healthy for a full season and then we'll talk. Until then, shut up and be happy that you got a raise." Jon, he had a better season than any of the "healthy" Phillies starters, or those of other teams for that matter.

kdon wrote: "Or maybe we need a pissed off Hamels, who feels he needs to prove himself every day." Oh, the happy Hamels pitched poorly?

Why the anger at Hamels? I don't understand it.

[Gaze]

And we wonder why ticket prices go up every year and teams sell naming rights for everything under the sun (ex. Wrigley Field!)... the past few years has begun to set a precident for player getting greedy earlier and earlier in their careers. Where's the breaking point?

[John]

Thanks for re-posting that, clout. Good stuff, ae.

Hamels is immature; I think we've all learned that by now. Given his history, and the nature of most players, he'll likely sign a long-term deal, should one be offered (no telling with this ownership!). 2012 is a long time to wait for that security -- for any pitcher, and definitely one who has already had injury issues.

[CJ]

Why the anger against Cole Hamels?

Because he should shut his mouth and pitch. He's getting paid fairly for both his service time and his performance. There is NO way to argue the money he is making is a low blow.

Yet, there's arrogant Cole Hamels making a story out of it when everyone should be focused on winning the World Series. The guy hasn't been healthy for an entire season and he's bitching about an extra $250K he thinks he deserved. I suppose the $3M+ he's made so far just ain't enough to live on.

I have no sympathy for Cole Hamels. Shut up and pitch. Maybe we should have paid him based on yesterday's performance. How much would he have made then?

[Gaze]

Next topic... looks like Lohse is willing to settle for 1 year and just a few million dollars! I think it's time to "buy low"

[Andy]

After Eaton's thrilling start, Gaze, I agree.

[Billy Mac]

Phils leading B game 1-0 in the 4th. Moyer still pitching. Cervenak with Homerun. Golson with single.

[Billy Mac]

Moyer with 4 shutout innings.

[Andy]

Okay. It's time to ask the question: did Golson get PtB Lasik Surgery over the Winter? Cripes, I know he's facing minor leaguers and journeymen. But that's what he was seeing when he amassed 173 Ks last year. So what gives? Coincidence, or is it real?

[Billy Mac]

Blackley in for Phils. Just picked off runner - nice move.

[setset]

So wait, what's the deal with these B games?

[Billy Mac]

1-0 after 5. Blackley out for his second inning. Fastball 84-86 and lots of sinkers.

[bay_area_phan]

My first instinct -- as it always is -- was to blame management for Hamels' anger. Upon further consideration, his anger (if any) should be directed at a system which gives players no bargaining power within the first 3 years of their career. Of course, as kdon points out, this same system allowed Hamels to get a $2M signing bonus before he ever played a minor league game, & it will eventually allow him to sign an enormous contract, where he will very likely get paid $18 to $20M per year well past the time when he is still a top pitcher.

By the way, if Hamels is ever going to become the ace pitcher that everyone thinks he can become, he's going to need to learn to pitch in day games. His change up is a lot easier to pick up in daylight & it shows up in his day-night splits. I suspect his day game problems have at least something to do with why he always pitches so poorly in spring training.

[Mr. Mack]

- Hammels making an extra $250K is not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things for the Phillies payroll. I am always the first one to rip the Front Office, but Cole seems to have a lot to complain about for a player who is about to begin his second full year. It's not like Ryno bitchd like a little girl after spending many more years in the minors, winning lots of hardware, and playing every day. He just shut up and let his performance speak volumes until he got his due. My advice: Hey Cole, shut up and take a page out of that book!

- According to yesterday's thread, it was stated that the Phillies were 23'rd in MLB profits last year, but were 11'th in attendance. Maybe they should save a few bucks on idiotic give-a-way's, and use that money to sign some quality players, either as free agents or minor league prospects. Those lame bobble heads and all of the other crap they hand out become less and less meaningful, and how many fans really line-up at the windows to get their hands on that crap?

- Are they really going to allow Eaton to be starter #5? I swear that I will refuse to even watch or listen to any game he participates in this year. The damage he does to just the bullpen is beyond the imagination. Lohse is still available, and although I know he is not the second coming, I thought he did a nice enough job last year to get an invite back for a reasonable price. Write off Eaton now and be done with it...

[Brian G]

We should have paid Hamels the extra 200K or so. Paying Howard an extra 600K last year bought us some good will with him, which translated into him signing a LT contract with us similar to Utley's... oh wait.

As it's been said above, shut the F up and pitch. You're already a millionaire and will be making many more in the future. This is the system. You play baseball. You're not owed anything.

And as I've said about Howard, we have Hamels for many more years no matter what. Probably for most of his prime. If he wants to be a bitter that entire time, fine. But he still needs to go out and be successful every fifth day if he wants to get paid.

[Gaze]

Mr. Mack-
I'm guilty! I'm a fan of the bobble head nights, but not much else. My American Red Cross Cole Hamels Bobble head is on my desk right next to me and I bought tickets for Jimmy Rollins MVP Bobble Head night this year... the ones they need to do away with are all those lame hat nights and cheesy visors and magnets and posters.

[Tony]

LF - the anger at hamels is a result of the perception that he is being greedy and demanding and not willing to put the team first. I am also remembering his staunch unwillingness to even consider pitching out of the bullpen if the team found itself with a case of extreme need in the playoffs. That combined with his demand of a chiropractor, his disrespect by saying something of this nature to the media as opposed to the people in charge and his seeming disregard for the process with which all young players must pass, regardless of talent. Furthermore, he left a better offer with incentives on the table by choosing to be greedy and expressing a false sense of entitlement. I do not feel he is mature enough to handle his amazingly high level of talent and be a team player, my opinion, like it or not. And lastly, I'm sorry *sarcasm* if my previous post lacked my usual eloquence as it is difficult to read and post during brief breaks between lecture hours while trying to sit through med school classes and felt like posting my initial guttural reaction.

[Mr. Mac]

Hey BAP -

I think maybe it has to do with his Playmate wife keeping him up a little late at night. Rumor has it that he performs better at night than during the day.

[Jack]

I have to say agree with ae and Clout. If you wanna bash the management for being cheap, do it for not signing talented prospects about slot and getting them into our system. We lose those guys to other teams by not paying above slot.

Howard and Hamels are already in our control through 2011 and 2012 respectively. There has been absolutely NO evidence that what you pay them in these circumstances has any impact on getting a long-term deal done. Until I see some of this evidence , I'll stick to my belief that these situations will have no effect on actual on-field results. Good point that Hamels already has 2 mill in the bank from when he was 18 years old and had never pitched a pro inning. This is the way the system works: the team pays them cheaply, the players complain about it for a few days, and everyone moves on. Once real baseball gets played, this is a non-story.

[Billy Mac]

3 scoreless for Blackley. Phils win 7 inning B game 1-0. Only 3 hits for the Phils.

[Tim]

An example of treating a player well today not paying off in the future is Randy Wolf. The Phillies treated him fairly, he rehabbed his arm on the Phillies dime, but then took his services elsewhere. Two years in a row he rejected the Phillies (better) offers and chose to play in S. California. My guess is no matter how we pay Hamels, he is likely to want to go home to S. California when he has the chance as well.

[clout]

Andy: Golson has not even been facing good minor leaguers. Tha last 2 guys he got hits off were 30-something journeymen. Let's see him get a hit off a major league pitcher or top prospect before we get excited, not that ST stats have any value.

[Tony]

blackley has looked good so far, we don't hear much about him though

[clout]

Lake Fred: I think the lack of love for Hamels is because Pedro Feliz and J.D. Durbin are so gushingly loved on this board that there isn't enough love left for Cole.

[JB]

Howard was noticeable miffed last year but at least took the high road.

Cole let his emotions get the best of him which hopefully could be attributed to the age gap between him and Ryan.

We all feel we are underpaid but are not better off by making it public.

I believe it could also be the slap of not being the opening day starter and then not getting a little extra coin in this process that got the best of him.

We have much more to be critical of then our high maintenance, greatest left-handed weapon since the original LEFTY himself.

[Brian G]

I don't feel I'm underpaid.

[ae]

if, as Olney reported today, Lohse is really willing to sign for 1 year in the $4-10M range, it would be borderline criminal for the Phillies not to sign him, no matter what their salary cap looks like at the moment.

[clout]

Tony: Blackley is a lefthanded finesse pitcher, of whom there are approximately 1, 873 in the minor leagues. His fastball tops out around 88-89 and he throws a curve, but he lives or dies with a great changeup. He must place his pitches precisely (a la Moyer) to win. If he can master command of his pitches he will be a successful major league pitcher. This happens with about 2% of all finesse lefties.

[bay_area_phan]

clout: I don't disagree with you about Golson but, regardless of how weak the opposition may be, I'd rather see him hitting well than not hitting well. And he has hit a couple of homeruns, which makes me think (hope?) that maybe he's starting to develop some of that power he was supposed to have.

BTW, I loved Golson's comment in today's paper, where he said that his problem last year was that he was trying too hard not to strike out. He struck out 173 times last year.

[Billy Mac]

Phils lineup for 105

Vic cf
Bruntlett ss
Utley 2b
Howard dh
Burrell lf
Jenkins rf
Feliz 3b
Helms 1b
Jaramillo c
Savery p