One would expect that at some point, the Philadelphia Phillies will trade Cole Hamels to a contender. There are plenty of logical destinations, and Hamels is a top of the line starter who could easily swing a playoff series.
The Phillies are smart to hold out for a great offer, but Hamels isn't doing them any favors with his recent performances. In his start on Sunday against the Marlins, Hamels lasted only three innings, giving up eight hits and five earned runs in the process.
That's two consecutive starts where Hamels has barely made it three innings, and his ERA has subsequently jumped from 2.91 to 3.91 from the end of May to now. Is that enough to scare off suitors? Probably not. But it might be enough to let the Phillies wait until they can really sell high after a great start.
It's an interesting fantasy lesson. If you have a player you'll know you want to move, especially in a keeper league, patience is your friend. Everyone is guilty of recency bias, to some degree, and our leagues aren't all that dissimilar from the bigs. Or at least we like to think so.
In other news...
Back In The Hunt: While Hamels struggles, another southpaw ace has been killing it. Clayton Kershaw's last three starts: 24 IP, 1 ER, 2 BB, 34 K. Just when you think the Cy Young might be going elsewhere this year...
Nola Up: The Phillies are bringing up stud pitching prospect Aaron Nola, who was ranked 39th among all prospects by Baseball America. Nola struck out 9.1 batters per 9 innings in AAA this year, so there's some decent strikout potential here. Keep him on your radar.
Cain On Fire: Royals OF Lorezno Cain is on a roll. After crushing a game-winning homer in extra innings on Saturday, Cain went yard again on Sunday. He's hitting .468 with a 1.358 OPS in the month of July.
Holliday In: The rich get richer. The league-leading Cardinals welcomed back Matt Holliday from the 15-day DL, and he didn't take long to produce in the Cardinals 12-2 smashing of the Mets on Sunday.
Dee to the DL: Originally the Marlins had hoped they wouldn't have to send Dee Gordon to the DL, but he's there with a dislocated thumb. 2B eligible Martin Prado, luckily, is back in action after being sidelined for over a month. He's a cheap source of average at a tough position to fill.
On A Roll: In his last last four games, Randal Grichuk has recorded at least three hits three times. He's often slept on in DFS because he bats towards the bottom of the Cardinals lineup pretty often, but Grichuk has a .901 OPS on the season now.
The Good Doctor: You never like to hear about Dr. James Andrews getting involved with what originally seemed to be a minor injury, but that's what's happening with Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz. Stay tuned for more.
John Halpin will be back with more Quick Hits on Monday. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
