Josh Hamilton
by Jeff Sullivan on Apr 2, 2008 9:04 AM PDT
in Seattle Mariners Stats
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PrintI mentioned this in the comment thread below, but since he's kind of been flying under the radar, and since I'd like to give the guy credit for owning one of the most dominating relievers in baseball, I think it warrants a post of its own:
Josh Hamilton could very well be the best position player in the AL West.
He doesn't have Ichiro's bat control, Vlad's terrifying raw power and maniacal intimidation, or Michael Young's whatever it is that makes people think Michael Young is good, but his skillset is absolutely that of a superstar, and once he gets more than a half-season in Cincinnati under his belt I think everyone's going to know it. I mean, ten years from now, the possibility exists that when people talk about Josh Hamilton, they'll be talking about his performance instead of his remarkable backstory. And that, to me, speaks volumes.
The Rangers aren't going to be as bad as a lot of people think they are. And Hamilton's the biggest reason why.
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Absolutely
and obviously unlike some of the other players that kick our ass, Hamilton's easy to root for. So he's got that going for him.
by Jeff Sullivan on Apr 2, 2008 9:15 AM PDT up reply actions
Makes Hamilton that much easier to root for...
by seattlesundevil on Apr 2, 2008 10:24 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't think they'll contend
but suck is a little harsh.
by Jeff Sullivan on Apr 2, 2008 10:26 AM PDT up reply actions
I like some of the moves they've made
Like getting Hamilton and Bradley. Blalock could have a nice year. I just have a hard time seeing this team win a game with their pitching staff and infield defense.
by Edgar for Pres on Apr 2, 2008 11:45 AM PDT up reply actions
IF the Rangers surprise, he'll be the reason
but I've now seen the Rangers put up two of the most brutal defensive games I've ever seen back to back.
You can take Kata out of Texas, but...apparently it makes everyone else in Texas field like Kata. Some sort of odd homage.
Yes, Hamilton will be good in center (though he totally misplayed a fly ball early in the game for a single), but we in Seattle know that just having a stud CF doesn't make your outfield, let alone your defense, all that good.
They could improve in many ways and they're still going to hemorrhage runs.
Gee maybne if we had tried to go get him
we'd have him in left, Jones in right, Sherill setting up, and we could actually score some runs.
Just goes to show that selling the farm for a Proven Ace is not a great plan of attack.
How could the Reds trade him too?
That's what baffles me.
by JI on Apr 2, 2008 9:37 AM PDT up reply actions
He had character issues
they were afraid he was going to implode, and they have a guy named Jay Bruce who was ready to take over center until the new manager decided he wasn't
Don't believe the lies Bill!!!! look at the sparkly ERA!!! Sparkly, Sparkly!!! - McCovey Chronicles
Jay Bruce is no centerfielder
I realize they're stuck with Griffey, but the could have had a Bruce/Hamilton/Griffey OF with Dunn at 1B until Votto is ready, or they could have done the smart thing and sold high on Dunn.
...This is why managers like Dusty Baker are completely obsolete, young players make rosters go, managers who give away all kinds of ridiculous veterans entitlement have no place on a winning franchise.
by JI on Apr 2, 2008 12:29 PM PDT up reply actions
Dusty Baker makes me laugh though
And for that I am thankful
by Graham MacAree on Apr 2, 2008 12:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Rangers fan here...
1. he didn't fit in very well in Cincinnati(it's believed there was anger over the media attention Hamilton received, no other players ever sat in on him telling his story to reporters, and no one ever invited him out to eat after practice/games)
it was expected Bruce was going to force him out(as they weren't going to bench Dunn or Griffey)
???
1. Who ever sits in on listening to other teammates talking about their stories?
2. How often do these guys go out to eat at midnight or 1 A.M.? Methinks they either get on a plane, go to their hotel, or go home immediately after the game 95% of the time.
3. You are speculating way too much when the reason is obvious (Jay Bruce).
Blalock, Young and Kinsler
all sat in on Hamilton's first presser with the Rangers during the onset of ST. He said it was the first time any teammates had ever come to listen to his story. It meant a lot to him that his teammates weren't just writing him off.
That is why the last guy brought it up.
"that suzuki guy should go back to making cars" - My girlfriend after C.J.'s close in game 2
Your girlfriend gets an A for effort and a D for execution
You clearly don't love her for her wit.
by Jeff Sullivan on Apr 2, 2008 5:34 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm a huge fan of Hamilton
and believe he has the talent to be Carlos Beltran, but it's not "obvious" that the reason is Bruce.
Hamilton's talent has always been known. Scouts wet their panties at the sight of him. He did have a very serious addiction problem. Even last season, all the money he earned, he did not touch at all. It was all handled by his wife, who would then give him a daily allowance. The reason was that even he himself did not trust himself not to spend the money on drugs.
ZIPS: Milledge: 466 HR, 485 2B, 2282 hits, 278-379-524
According to an ESPN article
his per diem is handled the same way - he has a minder that he travels with, and the minder gets the per diem and doles it out to Josh as needed. Josh is totally cool with it, too - "the last thing I need is to be walking around with money in my pocket".
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Apr 3, 2008 8:53 AM PDT up reply actions
Can't do it...
still have irrational hate. I hated Jeromy Burnitz for no reason for like 7 years, and its Hamilton's turn.
Didn't we have the opportunity to pick up Hamilton in the Rule 5 Draft?
Too bad for Tampa Bay. Think if Hamilton and Rocco were both healthy. That would be one killer outfield and one killer lineup.
Yeah, and if
Elijah Dukes and, to a lesser extent, Delmon Young weren't insane, they'd have an OF of Dukes, Hamilton, Baldelli, Young, Crawford and Upton.
yow.
And...
One of our top scouts was begging for Albert Pujols back in the Hamilton draft. We could've had Hammy, Crawford, and Pujols in one draft.
by R.J. Anderson on Apr 2, 2008 10:06 AM PDT up reply actions
I bet that scout really sucks to hang out with these days
Smug son of a bitch.
by Jeff Sullivan on Apr 2, 2008 10:07 AM PDT up reply actions
Scout 1: Hey, what do you feel like for dinner?
Scout 2: Wendy's. I could really go for some Wendy's.
Scout 1: I dunno, not really feeling the burgers tonight. A burrito would kill though. You good with Mexican?
Scout 2: Remember that time I said we should draft Pujols?
Scout 2: And you guys didn't listen?
Scout 1: Dude, enough.
by Jeff Sullivan on Apr 2, 2008 10:15 AM PDT up reply actions
yeah mine was a little harsher and less formatted
but thats the general gist of what i was trying to get across.
Jeff's pretty much the master of the fake convo
by R.J. Anderson on Apr 2, 2008 10:40 AM PDT up reply actions
We all have our talents
mine just happens to be pretty much useless in real life.
by Jeff Sullivan on Apr 2, 2008 11:06 AM PDT up reply actions
It's funny
hold a fake conversation on a website and you're the king of comedy. But hold a fake conversation in real life and suddenly you're schizophrenic.
by Jeff Sullivan on Apr 2, 2008 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions
That's a pretty good draft.
We could bat those three and take six straight outs and that would probably be a more effective offense than ours right now.
>:(
Hamilton sure would look nice in RF now....
too bad the Rays used a 40 man roster spot for Elliott Johnson that winter.
visit rotojunkie for your all of your fantasy baseball help
I see where they were coming from though
and they had already invested a lot into Hamilton and for whatever various reasons, he hadn't gotten there yet.
Now he's finally over that stuff and filling the promise he had when he got drafted, so good for him, and good for the Rangers too. Did the Reds really trade him to make room for Jay Bruce?
Volquez is a good prospect... but ever since he's been back, Hamilton has had star written all over him. Don't understand it.
by seattlebruin on Apr 2, 2008 10:05 AM PDT up reply actions
I suppose he'll probably beat him in homers
but Hamilton doesn't really have Vlad's ability to turn pretty much any pitch into a souvenir.
by Jeff Sullivan on Apr 2, 2008 10:19 AM PDT up reply actions
Thank god Vlad plays defense like Helen Keller plays tag
by Jeff Sullivan on Apr 2, 2008 10:31 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
do you mean before or after
her career ending death?
the artist formerly known as Mere Tantalisers.
by Bearskin Rugburn on Apr 2, 2008 10:39 AM PDT up reply actions
Vlad's ability to do that
pales in comparison to Horacio Ramirez's
:ducksforcover:
visit rotojunkie for your all of your fantasy baseball help
by Jason Collette on Apr 2, 2008 10:30 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
HoRam was a tru warier
It's too bad I'll never see his face again in an M's uniform.
Hey, my mood just got a little bit better!
I'd rather have Charlton Jimerson
He has a career MLB OPS of 1.750. Win.
... enough about Josh Hamilton
how about Brian Bannister, who is completely fucking up Detroit right now.
the artist formerly known as Mere Tantalisers.
by Bearskin Rugburn on Apr 2, 2008 11:44 AM PDT reply actions
Bannister-1
Ordonez-0
the artist formerly known as Mere Tantalisers.
by Bearskin Rugburn on Apr 2, 2008 11:56 AM PDT up reply actions
Heehee this is cute...
Angels fans are calling Jon Garland Ace#2
http://www.halosheaven.com/2008/4/2/388892/tony-reagins-behind-john-g#comments
As Jeff said yesterday
There's no point linking those idiots.
by Graham MacAree on Apr 2, 2008 12:34 PM PDT up reply actions
there are much better angels blogs out there
6-4-3 I think is a pretty good one.
the artist formerly known as Mere Tantalisers.
by Bearskin Rugburn on Apr 2, 2008 12:41 PM PDT up reply actions
I think you mean 6-4-2
and Chone Smith's blog isn't bad, though he's now doing most of his writing elsewhere.
Yeah, there are good Angel blogs; it's too bad the one that got picked up by SBN was HH.
We've scored an away goal
And we're not losing. It's cool.
by Graham MacAree on Apr 2, 2008 1:26 PM PDT up reply actions
aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrgggggghsenal
should have killed this goddamn game off 20 mins ago
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Apr 2, 2008 1:35 PM PDT up reply actions
I would care more about football
But it's baseball season now
by Graham MacAree on Apr 2, 2008 1:39 PM PDT up reply actions
Oooh the channel that was showing Chelsea is now showing
competitive table tennis. In other news, I want to go home.
Gotta love Eurosport.
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Apr 2, 2008 1:42 PM PDT up reply actions
Ugh.
Another channel is showing handball. I defy you to find a more boring, ugly sport than handball. There is no beauty in the sport at all.
caber tossing?
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Apr 2, 2008 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions
i plan on making the Olympics someday in team handball
it seems really easy to do.
alright! two people already.
we'll have a team yet.
Actually Britain
had to put ads in the newspapers to get people to come out for the handball team. They need one for the 2012 Olympics, cause the home country is represented in every event. So yeah, there were ads in the newspaper to be an Olympian.
see what I'm saying?
London 2012!!
(is it too late for Beijing?)
What is it with the Danes and handball?
Wasn't it a crazed german fan who stabbed a Danish handball player?
(different than the crazed german fan who stabbed Monica Seles)
Haha I don't know, I find the sport atrocious at best.
Actually handball was invented by a Dane, so they have a bunch of national pride in it. They are pretty good too, just won the European Championships. I mean, they aren't good at anything else (besides creating hot women and maybe rowing), so you got to have pride in something, right?
I still care about the champions league a little bit
mostly because I detest Liverpool.
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Apr 2, 2008 1:42 PM PDT up reply actions
Absolutely.
I'll take the young inexperience over the older incompetence any day. I'm really about done with Eboue.
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Apr 2, 2008 2:23 PM PDT up reply actions
I think they have a point based on his first game
A 0.00 K rate would make him a rather unique pitcher.
I have to agree
I'm surprised at how good he's looked both in the field and at the plate. Big time sleeper upgrade for the Rangers.
Hamilton + Mariners = competent outfield and offense
I can dream can't I? Didn't the rangers only have to give up a "prospect" for him too.
Not too mention his leftyness perfectly fit for Safeco...
by Fin on Apr 2, 2008 1:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Bonds + Hamilton
PR nightmare, but stathead's wet dream.
by Fin on Apr 2, 2008 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions
I think Hamilton's pretty good for PR these days
by Jeff Sullivan on Apr 2, 2008 2:09 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't get it. Why?
Because he overcame drug abuse? Shouldn't you have more respect for people that never abuse drugs in the first place?
NB: I'm not attacking your opinion, more the general PR-ness of stories such as his.
Hang out with Josh Hamilton's parents for a little while
You'll abuse drugs too.
Not absolving him of his earlier bad choices, but he was born into a lousy situation, and that he's been able to overcome it is pretty darn cool.
Thank you for pointing this out
couldn't agree more...
and it exposes the ignorance of those of us that grow up with privilege and tend to judge harshly without having walked a mile...
If you've know someone who is a drug addict or alcoholic,
you'd understand why it is such a good story. Usually people with his issues end up homeless, in jail, or dead. You should have more respect for those who don't abuse drugs in the first place, but what he has done to turn around his life should be lauded. I know nothing about his personal life, but I hope he uses his situation to help other addicts out there.
I'm not saying he doesn't deserve praise for getting out of that situation;
just pointing out that recovering addicts generally get far more positive PR than never-addicts and that's stupid.
It is stupid....but...
Really, who wants to read a story about someone who hasn't overcome something that everyone can share in. Not to say everyone has done drugs, but everyone knows someone who has and understands the dangers of drugs. Not everyone can associate with gang violence, eating disorders, growing up in an impoverished home/community. People are wired to appreciate this story more than the story of the All-American Center Fielder who grows up to make the Hall of Fame and look good doing it. People like failure, because it makes them feel better about themselves. They like recovery, because it gives them hope.
Zola was too short
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Apr 2, 2008 3:12 PM PDT up reply actions
well played
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Apr 2, 2008 3:43 PM PDT up reply actions
I dislike how he screamed "You suck!" at the TV when Friedman (Rays GM) was being interviewed during the draft. I mean if Friedman kept him he would've been in the minors, not in the majors.
by R.J. Anderson on Apr 2, 2008 4:29 PM PDT up reply actions
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