Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Around the fantasy baseball world, the injuries are really starting to pile up. Countless All-Stars will likely begin the season on the disabled list and one of the biggest names on that list is SP Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Hamels will unfortunately miss a handful starts to begin the 2014 season. He has been dealing with shoulder inflammation for weeks and it has caused him to continually push back his 2014 fantasy debut.
At this point, it is all about his stamina. The team needs Hamels to be able to pitch an entire game (100-plus pitches) and he simply isn’t there yet. Hamels has been throwing more each day, though, and he seems very excited about his progress right now.
The lefty started a spring game on Thursday. He threw 30 pitches, 20 of which were strikes, and the veteran looked dialed in for a period of time. Hamels seems only a week or two away and he should be able to return to the big league squad before the end of April.
Hamels wasn’t at his best at the beginning of last year, as he was 4-11 with a 4.05 ERA before the break, but he really turned it around after the break. Hamels posted a sizzling 2.97 ERA in 13 starts after the turn and truly pitched like a number two fantasy arm down the stretch.
Hamels will be a strong SP2 again this fantasy season. He will be back on the mound very soon and the star southpaw is one injured starter that it is worth being patient with over the first couples weeks.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
