Cole Hamels has fully cemented himself as the ace of the Phillies’ staff, as he was named the Opening Day starter by manager Charlie Manuel on Saturday, the first day of Spring Training.

“You might as well go ahead and pencil him in,” Manuel said. “There’s no sense in me bull(bleeping) you.”

Last year, Manuel initially dodged the question of who would be the starter on Day 1, ultimately deciding on Brett Myers. The move was largely seen as a gesture of appreciation to Myers, who had agreed to move from the role of closer to become a starting pitcher once again.

Myers struggled through much of the first half of the season, even spending three weeks in a minor league stint. Myers ended the season with a record of 10-13 with an ERA of 4.55.

Even though he did not start on Opening Day last seson, Hamels was clearly the top pitcher on the staff. He ended the regular season with a record of 14-10 with a 3.03 ERA. Hamels received very little run support through much of the season, so his record does not fully explain the success that he had.

But Hamels really shined during the playoffs, with four wins and an ERA of 1.80. He was just one win away from breaking the record for most wins in the playoffs by one pitcher, and was the MVP of both the NLCS and the World Series.

And he’s just 24, with his best years ahead of him.