PT TOMORROW: NL Central—Will the Cubs pick up Hamels's 2019 option?
Sep 1 2018
In six starts since joining the Cubs via trade at the end of July, Cole Hamels (LHP, CHC) has pitched his best baseball of the 2018 season, going 4-0 with a 0.69 ERA, 8.8 Dom, 3.5 Cmd, 2.90 xERA, and 123 BPV. He's also raised his ground ball rate to 56% during that span, the best rate he's had in any month this year, while lowering his fly ball rate to a season-low 19%, and pumping out an average fastball speed of 93.0 mph, which, you guessed it, is also a new monthly high for 2018. He's also ramped up usage of his four-seam fastball to 41.2%, compared to 26.8% on the year; that harkens back to 2007-2013, when his four-seam usage was 40% or higher every year.
It has led to some speculation about whether the Cubs will pick...
Almost!
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