Rangers ace Cole Hamels is the three-time All-Star who has won 121 games in 10 Major League seasons.
He has an impressive 3.31 earned run average, and he’ll likely surpass 2,000 career strikeouts this season.

He’s also pitched at least 180 innings in each of the past nine seasons, but there’s much more to this guy.

When the Texas Rangers traded for Cole Hamels last July, they received more than just a great left-handed pitcher, they got a role model young fans can emulate.

Hamels understands young kids look up to him because he did the same when he was a child.

“I think the guys I definitely tried to emulate growing up were Tom Glavine, being left-handed,” he says. “I was lucky enough to watch Greg Maddux pitch, and John Smoltz when they were with Atlanta. There were some quality pitchers there and they weren’t just great on the field. They were great off the field.”

Everyone in the Rangers clubhouse says the same thing about Hamels. He’s great on the field, and greater off the field.

“He’s a stud on the field. He’s a stud off the field,” says Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels. “He has a tremendous work ethic and is a role model for the other guys. He fits in great with the clubhouse dynamic. He’s an exciting guy to have going every five days for us.”

“He goes about his game like a pro,” echoes Pitching Coach Doug Brocail. “Everyone has seen that. On the field, off the field, he’s a pro. Having Cole in that situation for us sets a trend for the other kids.”

Whether it’s the kids on the Rangers staff like Martin Perez or Chi Chi Gonzalez, or kids watching on TV at home, Hamels embraces being able to impact the lives of others thanks to being blessed with the talent to throw a baseball.

The best advice he can offer?  Never give up on yourself.

“To never give up, I think you’re going to have more success than failures,” Hamels says.

Something the Rangers are counting on in 2016.