RADIO
BALLER MOVE: Target ~200
CURRENT ADP: 234
ANALYSIS: Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cole Hamels suffered his worst professional season in 2017. The left-hander gave up a 4.20 ERA with 3.22 BB/9 and a career-worst 6.39 K/9. Hamels looked nothing like the model of consistency that provided solid-to-great numbers across the board for the better part of the last decade.
In fact, the numbers suggest he actually benefited from good luck in 2017, as his BABIP was just .251 and his FIP was nearly a half run higher at 4.62. Hamels gave up hard contact at highest rate of his career, an increase that confirms a troubling trend from the past three seasons. The former World Series MVP will play all of 2018 at age 34, and the track record of starting pitchers recovering from poor campaigns to post resurgent numbers suggest that the starter is not in line to do so.
Hamels is currently going at 77th overall in drafts as players hope to grab a rebounding former ace. He may not be an ace, and should not be drafted as one, but he could be worthy of a lottery ticket pick as the last pick of the draft.
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