Colbert Michael "Cole" Hamels (born December 27, 1983 in San Diego, California) is a left-handed starting pitcher who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. Hamels throws a standard four-seam fastball, changeup, and a curveball. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 2008 World Series and National League Championship Series after posting a 4–0 record in the playoffs.

He attended Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego, California. According to Tony Gwynn, lots of scouts were interested in Hamels while he was pitching for RBHS because his fastball was clocked as high as 94 mph. However, he broke his arm in his sophomore year, so some teams, like the San Diego Padres lost interest. Nonetheless, Hamels was drafted in the first round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft by the Phillies.

Hamels began his professional baseball career in 2003, pitching at Single-A Lakewood. Later that season, he was promoted to Advanced-A Clearwater. After the 2003 season, Hamels received the Paul Owens Award as the best pitcher in the Phillies' minor league system.