Josh Hamilton: A Great Story Regardless of Having Any Connection With Baseball

[missionhockey21]

Josh Hamilton: A Great Story Regardless of Having Any Connection With Baseball
by missionhockey21

There is no question that the baseball world has been consumed with Josh Hamilton’s story this spring, the question mark that is lingering over Josh Hamilton’s head is whether this is all one giant fluke or some indication of what he might be able to do.

Most baseball fans are aware of the gritty details of Hamilton’s story, the fall of a once praised prospect to the slums of addiction and shame. Josh Hamilton is not only a great baseball story, but a great story of a human being overcoming adversity. The former overall number one draft pick in the 1999 (to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays) once was able to wow scouts with his massive power potential in high school but was also able to get them to do a double take when seeing he could hit 97 or 98 mph. Hamilton’s skill earned him the prestige of being selected number one (over Ben Sheets and Josh Beckett just to name a few) and earned him a record setting four million dollar signing bonus.

But where did the unlimited potential meet a roadblock that no amount of homeruns or Baseball America praise could topple? Addiction. Without going into the details of where his life went wrong, it is recognized that his drug and alcohol addiction cost him three years of his playing career, the shame of being suspended from the game he loved so much and his wife (for a period of time.) He supposedly spent nearly all (if not all) of his signing bonus he received in 1999 and all he had to show for it was un-reached potential and letting so many people that cared about him down.

Fast forward to December 2006, it’s the Rule 5 Draft. The Chicago Cubs selected outfielder Josh Hamilton with the third pick, a name that some either forgot about or assumed was out of the game, only to promptly trade him to the Cincinnati Reds just a few short hours later (in a deal that was worked out prior to the draft.) This was his second chance for a new future. The Devil Rays have been known to have their fair share (or rather 90%) of young, talented and troubled prospects but Josh Hamilton had probably most worn out his welcome. He has the chance to go to a new organization, one who will only know Hamilton as a clean and sober young man and will look at him with nothing but optimistic eyes. And Hamilton needed that fresh start to benefit him as a human being, even if being with the Devil Rays in AA/AAA next season would had been better for his development as a baseball player.

No matter what Hamilton does in the spring however, it’s important to realize that this is a month of baseball, baseball that some might not take seriously and where the competition might be greatly different from what a player could expect to see on the 25 man roster. This is a man with about 1000 professional at-bats, with the bulk of his experience coming in single A baseball (and quite a piss poor double A showing in 2001.) Yet, the praise will not stop. Peter Gammons believes he could be the Reds centerfielder come opening day and a future star down the road. Reds slugger Adam Dunn said about Hamilton “the best baseball player he has ever saw.” Whether Gammons is stirring the hype machine or Dunn is trying to motivate his younger teammate, it’s clear that there must be something special about this young man, more than just the story, but the talent is impressing once again.

For his first 10 games, that talent has given Hamilton at least one last glimpse of being in the spotlight. He has 16 hits in 28 at-bats, which is good for a .571 batting average. His power has not been tapped out as he two doubles, one triple and one homerun. And with what I thought would be his most trying element in his game, his plate discipline, has been surprisingly solid with five walks to three strikeouts. Again, this is only ten games as his high hits brethren include Johnny Estrada, Hunter Pence, Placido Polanco, Jason Ellison, Todd Linden, James Loney, and Shane Victorino and I don’t think all nine of these gentlemen will be future hall of famers. Its hard to ignore though that he is leading baseball in hits, thus far this spring. So its important not to get too excited, but at the same time recognize what he has been able to do this spring. This would be like a man leaving his deskjob for several years and performing like the employee of the month upon his return with no hiccup in the quality of work. Because unlike his peers (all with 14 hits or more), Hamilton has had the least work with professional baseball instructors as he only returned to the game in a very shortened season last year in class A so his accomplishment thus far is most shocking. So be it small sample size, luck, sheer dedication, talent or all of the above, Hamilton is defying the odds. Whether it lasts for only a few more games or he manages to capitalize on his opportunity and become a major league baseball player of respectable quality, this is truly a unique story.
[BREAK=A Suiting Comparison?]
Being a unique story, it’s hard to find a fair reference point of comparison. The only somewhat applicable comparison I can think to make is to the players who headed off to fight for our country in World War II. As you know, there were hundreds of players who went off to battle, but I have found it difficult to track down a list so I had to use a pretty well known name as the basis of my comparison. And the best man for that I found was the borderline HOF first baseman Gil Hodges. Gil Hodges started his professional career a bit later than Hamilton did as he attended Saint Joseph’s college, but both had a significant chunk of their prospect development time snatched away. Hodges played ten games for the team he signed for (Brooklyn Dodgers) and spent three years with the Marine Corps as an anti-aircraft gunner. With combining his shortened 1947 season and his 1948 season to see his totals after 558 at-bats, it seems evident to me that the rust was showing. He hit only .237 in those 558 at-bats with 12 homers, 21 doubles, and 9 triples. Those are by far from unbearable numbers considering he had a grand total of 10 previous MLB at-bats and the fact that he was in the service for three years. And as you would expect with a talented player, his seasons after that were on the up and up, from power to batting average to plate discipline all rising. In fact, after that 1948 season, he was selected to the all-star game six consecutive times.

Am I attempting to claim that Josh Hamilton will have a career that will statistically mirror Gil Hodges? Of course not, Hodges is a player who easily ranks in the top 20 first basemen and to say someone of Hamilton’s experience would be able to replicate that is nothing short of crazy. But I do think it’s food for thought for any fan (Reds fans in particular) who have their hopes set on a miracle all-star type season from Hamilton. Hodges finished his career with 370 homers, and had some just fantastic seasons in the Brooklyn, but this was after a collegiate career and serving his country and not his addiction. I thought the Josh Hamilton signing was a stroke of genius from the start but I would of never dreamt that Hamilton would of came out swinging like this, so it’s important for fans to have realistic expectations and then to allow Hamilton soar past them if he continues on this path. Hamilton’s roster spot is Willy Mo part deux for the Reds as they have four solid (or better outfielders) in Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr (more so if he is a rightfielder), Ryan Freel and Chris Denorfia. Hamilton will only develop at age 25 if he sees at-bats, and due to the nature of the rule 5 draft, he has to stay on the Reds 25 man roster or be offered back to the Devil Rays (who would surely accept him.) Any at-bats he gets, means there are at-bats taken away from another capable player, so he has to earn them and keep on earning them. But will Reds management or fans begin to moan and groan at the first signs of struggle or extended slump? Will they expect a high contact, power plentiful, baseball wunderkind? Or will they let Hamilton develop at his pace and without expectations? Again, it is important to recognize that this is a man who barely has any experience past single A competition.

It’s possible, no matter what the odds say, that Hamilton becomes that future star that so many are wishing for, but even if he doesn’t, remember his story and allow it to inspire you. Winning or losing the battle in becoming a major league baseball star is nothing in comparison to beating a drug addiction that has ruined your life. He has his second chance in baseball, but more importantly, he already has his second chance in life. He is back together with his wife and his two daughters, he has found religion, peace within himself, and his family is healthy. To many, Josh Hamilton is already one lucky man. Nothing would thrill me more than to see Hamilton become the poster boy for five tool players, but he has won his most important battle already and that’s something that everyone can cheer for regardless of team affiliation or even connection to the game of baseball.

[Stonedrie2]

nice article.. I have to admit the story caught my eye because of Josh Hamilton being on my Cubs in the sim league.

[General]

I think it'd be excellent to see Hamilton become a success in the majors now, with his alleged "conversion" or whatnot. He seems to have gotten his life together, and to finally fulfill that potential which made him the 1st overall selection would be truly inspiring.

[ghettochild]

i think its just a matter of time until we start seeing the josh hamilton he once was...even though he had his off the field troubles, he still played baseball and its just a matter of time before he regains his tools.

[ATLien]

heh

[bwitty24]

I am really interested to see how he will end up. From everything I have read he looks like an extremely promising player.

[heykid]

awesome!

[Fishercat]

I'll be interested to see if the drugs were too much or if he can get some Gil Hodges quality seasons in there.

BTW, per Mission's request, I submitted to DIGG, so if anyone wants to go and vote on it, feel free if you think it's good.

Digg - Josh Hamilton: A Great Story Regardless of The Context of Baseball.

[redsrbetter]

I really liked the article. I was pretty excited when the Reds took the chance on Josh Hamilton, but now I am overwhelmed by what he has shown already this spring.
Great comparison to Gil Hodges as well. Although the reasons are different for their departure from baseball, Hodges and others have shown that it is possible to make a come back to the game you spent a long tenure away from.

Great read!

My only concern now is whether or not Narron will give him enough playing time. I know Hamilton and Narron have known eachother for a while and that it may have very well beenNarron who made the call on getting Hamilton over to the Reds, but will he get enough playing time to hone his skills? Juan Encarnacion, Jose Guillen, Wily Mo Pena, Ryan Freel are all on the long list of players who have not been given ample opportunity to excel. Is Hamilton next?

I also DIGG your article, well done. Everyone else, get in there and DIGG great content such as this. This is what helps gain attention.

[missionhockey21]

Hodges is a bit different with his collegiate experience, but I do think it is a SOMEWHAT valid comparison since it wasn't all too shocking to have the all-stars of the 40's head off to war and return to be, in most cases, highly effective players in the postwar era. I am sure there are better comparisons to be made in terms of experience (or lack there of), but I thought Hodges was a nice and optimistic one to postulate about.

Funny you should mention Narron though, I was actually reading a story about Hamilton and it turns out that Narron had little to do with it. It might of been on the night before the draft in which the deal was worked out and Krivsky contacted Narron to ask how he felt about Hamilton, or something along those lines. And given Narron's family connection with Hamilton, it turned out to be quite lucky for all parties involved.

I fully expect Hamilton to get plenty of at-bats once the season begins, my only concern (which I tried to express in the article) is whether the AB's will still come after a serious slump, which is quite likely. We all know that the biggest problem with Wily Mo Pena in Cincinnati was a crowded outfield that prevented him from getting the AB's he needed as essentially development AB's. If he can't be in the minors and he can't get the chance to hit in the majors, then he'll just waste away on the bench for whatever talent remains.

[redsrbetter]

History tells us that Narron likes to play his guys. It also tells us that Narron is an idiot when it comes to getting max potential output from a player who needs to see ABs to progress. Which one of these is Hamilton? For sure he is the latter, but will Narron play him as one of his guys?