Josh Hamilton (baseball)
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- For the actor, see Josh Hamilton (actor)
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| Texas Rangers — No. 32 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: May 21, 1981 Raleigh, North Carolina |
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| Bats: Left | Throws: Left |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| April 2, 2007 for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through June 11, 2008) |
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| Batting average | .302 |
| Home runs | 36 |
| Runs batted in | 118 |
| OPS | .948 |
| Teams | |
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Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981 in Raleigh, North Carolina), commonly nicknamed "The Great Hambino" by Randy Galloway of 103.3 ESPN Radio in Dallas, is a Major League Baseball player for the Texas Rangers. He was the first overall pick in the 1999 Major League Baseball Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He was considered a blue chip prospect until injuries and addiction derailed his career in 2001. Prior to the 2007 season, Hamilton was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the Rule 5 Draft, and quickly traded to the Cincinnati Reds. He made his MLB debut in 2007, and had a successful rookie season. During the off-season he was again traded , this time to the Texas Rangers. Throughout the first three months of the 2008 season, he has been one of the top hitters in the American League.
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[edit] Baseball career
[edit] High school and minor leagues
Josh Hamilton starred for Athens Drive High School in Raleigh, North Carolina before being drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999. He was a highly decorated high school player, twice being named North Carolina's Gatorade High School Player of the Year. Following his senior season, he was named High School Player of the Year by Baseball America and Amateur Player of the Year by USA Baseball. Hamilton played outfield and also pitched during his high school career.[1] As a left-handed high school pitcher, Hamilton sometimes hit 96 MPH. He was touted as a rare talent, who was almost equally skilled as a pitcher and a position player (outfield). Dan Jennings, a Tampa Bay scout said "He has every tool we look for in a position player." His high school coach at Athens Drive, John Thomas said "He's better at this game than anyone else I've seen in high school or college." [2]
Hamilton signed with the Devil Rays receiving a $3.96 million signing bonus, and joined their minor league system.[3][4] His first stop in the minors was the rookie level Princeton Devil Rays of the Appalachian League where he played 56 games. He also joined the Hudson Valley Renegades, and helped lead them to their first New York-Penn League championship. After this successful debut in professional baseball, he spent the 2000 season with the Charleston RiverDogs in the South Atlantic League.[5] At the start of his pro career, Hamilton's parents quit their jobs so they could travel with their son.[6]
Prior to the 2001 season, Hamilton was involved in a car accident. His mother was also injured in the accident, and she went home with her husband to rehab her injuries. The 2001 season was also when he began experimenting with drugs, and made his first attempt at rehab.[6] Hamilton only played 27 games in the 2001 season, split between Charleston (A-Ball) and the Orlando Rays, a AA team in the Southern League. Hamilton began the 2002 season with the Bakersfield Blaze, batting .303 with 9 home runs and 44 RBI in 56 games before his season came to an end due to lingering back and shoulder injuries.[5]
At the start of the 2003 season, Hamilton showed up late several times during spring training and was reassigned to the team's minor league camp. He left the team and resurfaced several times, but eventually took the rest of the season off for personal reasons. Hamilton was hoping to return to spring training with the Devil Rays in 2004, but he was suspended 30 days and fined for violating the drug policy put in place by MLB.Because of the length of his suspension, and the terms of the drug policy, Hamilton must have failed two or more drug tests after being put into the program. A 'failed' test is a positive result for a drug more severe than marijuana.[7] This suspension was increased several times after repeated violations of the terms of the program.[8]
From 2002 until 2006, Hamilton did not play baseball at all. He made several attempts at rehab, and started off the 2005 season with hopes of being reinstated by MLB. [9] His return to baseball was helped along by Roy Silver who owns a baseball academy in Florida. After hearing about Hamilton's desire to return to baseball, Silver offered the use of his facility if Hamilton agreed to work there. After several months there, Hamilton attempted to play with an independent minor league team, but MLB stepped in and disallowed it. After reviewing his case, and hearing from doctors that being around baseball might speed his recovery, Hamilton was allowed to work out with the Devil Rays minor league players starting on June 2, 2006. By the end of the month, he was allowed to participate in minor league games.[4][8] He played 15 games with the Hudson Valley Renegades at the end of the 2006 season.[5]
[edit] Return to the majors
Hamilton was selected third overall in the MLB portion of the 2006 Rule 5 Draft by the Chicago Cubs, as the Rays had not placed him on their 40-man roster.[10] The Cubs then traded Hamilton to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money.[11] In their coverage of the draft, Chris Kline and John Manuel of Baseball America called Hamilton "the biggest name in the Rule 5 in years."[12]
[edit] Cincinnati Reds
In order to retain the rights to Hamilton, the Reds had to keep him on their Major League 25-man roster for the entire 2007 season. He was one of the Reds' best hitters in spring training, leaving camp with a .403 batting average. As a result, he won a spot on the Reds' Opening Day roster;[13] the Reds planned to use him as a fourth outfielder.[14] Hamilton started most of the time in center field after an injury to Ryan Freel. He also received starts due to injuries to Chris Denorfia and Norris Hopper.
Hamilton made his long-awaited Major League debut on April 2 against the Chicago Cubs in a pinch-hit appearance, receiving a 22-second standing ovation.[citation needed] He lined out to left fielder Matt Murton, who made a sliding catch. Hamilton stayed in the game in left field. He made his first start on April 10 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, batting lead off. In that game, he recorded his first Major League hit, a home run off Édgar González. The next night, he hit another. Hamilton was named the National League Rookie of the Month for April.
On May 22, the Reds placed Hamilton on the 15-day disabled list with gastroenteritis; they activated him on June 5 after he batted .333 (8-for-24) with four home runs and six RBI in a six-game Minor League rehabilitation assignment.[15] Hamilton went back on the DL on July 12 with a sprained wrist.[16]
Among all NL rookies, Hamilton placed second behind Ryan Braun in slugging percentage (.554), and fourth in home runs (19; behind Braun, Chris Young, and Troy Tulowitzki). However, he was shut out in the voting for the Rookie of the Year, which was won by Braun.
[edit] Texas Rangers (2008–present)
On December 21, 2007, the Reds traded Hamilton to the Texas Rangers for Edinson Volquez and Danny Herrera. In 2008, Hamilton locked up the Rangers starting center fielder job with a stellar spring training, and has continued hitting for average and power in the regular season. Josh Hamilton, usually slotted third in the Texas batting order, appears to be finally fulfilling his great potential. Hamilton led all Major League players in RBI for the month of April. He was named American League Player of the Month after hitting .330 with 32 RBI during the month. Hamilton then went on to win player of the month for the second straight month in May, becoming the first American League player in baseball history to be awarded Player of the Month for the first two months of the season.
Hamilton was featured on the cover of the June 2, 2008 issue of Sports Illustrated, in a story chronicling his comeback.
[edit] Statistics
| Year | Ag | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS+ | TB | SH | SF | IBB | HBP | GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 26 | Cincinnati | NL | 90 | 298 | 52 | 87 | 17 | 2 | 19 | 47 | 3 | 3 | 33 | 65 | .292 | .368 | .554 | 131 | 165 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| 2008 | 27 | Texas | AL | 63 | 260 | 44 | 82 | 16 | 3 | 17 | 70 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 43 | .315 | .362 | .596 | 157 | 155 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Totals: | 153 | 558 | 96 | 169 | 33 | 5 | 36 | 117 | 5 | 3 | 55 | 108 | .303 | .365 | .573 | 142 | 320 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 10 | |||
Roll over stat abbreviations for definitions. Stats through June 7, 2008.[17]
[edit] The Real Estate Pros
Hamilton appeared in an episode of TLC's The Real Estate Pros, where he helped repair the home of baseball legend Shoeless Joe Jackson.
[edit] References
- ^ Josh Hamilton Player File. Retrieved on 2008-06-12.
- ^ Pearlman, Jeff (1999-06-02). Prospect with All the Tools: Josh Hamilton hits, fields, pitches and is the darling of this year's draft. Retrieved on 2008-06-12.
- ^ Chen, Albert (2008-05-27). The Super Natural. Retrieved on 2008-06-12.
- ^ a b Nightengale, Bob (2006-06-07). Hamilton on the comeback trail. Retrieved on 2007-06-03.
- ^ a b c Josh Hamilton Statistics. Retrieved on 2008-06-12.
- ^ a b Sheinin, Dave (2007-02-13). New Life at the Plate. Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
- ^ Topkin, Mark (2004-02-18). Josh Hamilton Suspended For MLB Drug Policy Violations. Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
- ^ a b Paul, Tony (2008-06-06). Back from the (nearly) dead. Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
- ^ Topkin, Mark (2005-01-14). Staying clean a day at a time. Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
- ^ Major League Rule 5 Draft Selections (2006-12-07). Retrieved on 2007-12-06.
- ^ Ex-rays Prospect Hamilton picked in rule 5 draft (2006-12-07). Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
- ^ Rule 5 Draft blog (2006-12-07). Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
- ^ Encina, Eduardo A. (2007-03-31). Reds' Hamilton to start in majors. Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
- ^ Sheldon, Mark (2007-03-30). Reds aim to build on last season's run. Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
- ^ Sheldon, Mark (2007-06-05). Hamilton to be activated from DL. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
- ^ Sheldon, Mark (2007-07-16). Notes: Ten more days for Hamilton. Retrieved on 2007-07-22.
- ^ Josh Hamilton Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Retrieved on 2008-06-08.
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- Josh Hamilton Scouting Report from Dugout Central
| Preceded by Pat Burrell |
First overall pick in the MLB Entry Draft 1999 |
Succeeded by Adrian Gonzalez |
| Preceded by David Ortiz (September 2007) |
American League Player of the Month April 2008, May 2008 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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