Who is Cole Hamels' wife Heidi Strobel? All about former NLCS MVP's wife who was on Survivor and posed for Playboy

If you go back a decade, there were a few pitchers more well-known than Cole Hamels. Hamels is a four-time All-Star who recently signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres, his hometown team.

Hamels is a native of Southern California and excelled as a pitcher from a young age. As a pitcher for his high school team in the late 1990s, his fastball was already being clocked at around 94 miles per hour.

"Cole Hamels is signing a minor league deal with the Padres, per @ByRobertMurray" - Fox Sports: MLB

The Philadelphia Phillies selected Hamels as their first pick in the 2002 draft. He began pitching for the South Atlantic League's Lakewood Blueclaws and was named the best Phillies minor-league pitcher in 2003.

During spring training in 2004, Cole Hamels was pitching with the Philadelphia Phillies at their pre-season facility in Clearwater, Florida. Before one of their games, Heidi Strobel threw out the ceremonial first pitch. At the time, she was a contestant on the popular reality TV show Survivor. She and Hamels stayed in touch after their chance encounter and began to develop a relationship.

Heidi Strobel was born in Buffalo, Missouri, a small town of a few thousand. As a young girl, she sold eggs produced on her family farm, and also operated a small local newspaper. After leaving Buffalo, she graduated from Drury University with a degree in exercise physiology and education.

Cole Hamels and Heidi Strobel were married on New Year's Eve 2006, following Hamels' rookie season with the Philadelphia Phillies. The pair now have four children together, including a daughter that they adopted from Ethiopia. Following her adoption, the pair set up the Hamels Foundation, which specializes in philanthropic work both in the USA and Africa.

Hamels had a resounding sophomore campaign, posting an ERA of 3.39 along with a 15-5 record. In 2008, he won MVP honors in both the NLCS and the World Series as the Phillies bested the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays, respectively, to win their first World Series in 28 years.

"Cole and Heidi Hamels thank Philadelphia in Saturday’s @PhillyInquirer" - Jake Kaplan

Cole Hamels played for a variety of teams following his departure from the Phillies, including a comeback attempt with the Dodgers in 2021 that ended in injury. In February 2023, Hamels agreed to a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres. It will make his hometown club the fifth team of his MLB tenure.

Could Cole Hamels make a comeback in 2023?

Hamels' new team, the San Diego Padres, are an exciting ball club. The team defied expectations when they made it all the way to the 2022 NLCS. Although Hamels is not expected to make the starting rotation, he has the ability to be more than a minor-leaguer. If he can stay healthy, expect to see the 39-year-old on the mound this summer.