Hamels was announced as the Rangers' Opening Day starter Wednesday.
With Yu Darvish sidelined for at least the first month of the season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, Hamels was an obvious choice to take the mound on Opening Day for the Rangers. Hamels had a strong second half of the season with the Rangers last season, posting a 3.66 ERA to go with 78 strikeouts against 23 walks in 83.2 innings of work. He'll square off against Seattle's Felix Hernandez on Opening Day.