ProAthletesOnly.com Point Of View - Josh Hamilton
Josh Hamilton is a major league baseball player with the Texas Rangers.
He was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays with the first overall pick in the 1999 First-Year Player Draft but had to overcome a long history of personal issues and drug abuse before reaching the Major Leagues. Picked up a year ago by the Reds in the Rule 5 Draft, Hamilton hit .292 with 19 home runs and 47 RBIs in 298 at-bats this past season.
This past off-season the Texas Rangers acquired Hamilton from the Cincinnati Reds for Edinson Volquez and Danny Herrera.
Before the trade his off-field issues still had to be addressed by Rangers owner Tom Hicks.
Hamilton missed 3 1/2 years from 2002-2006 because of his drug problems while going in and out of rehabilitation eight different times. He said he has been clean for over two years and his arrival in the Major Leagues last season appeared to be in the end of a long, hard road.
After missing all of 2003-05, Hamilton finally got back on the field in 2006, playing in 15 games for Class A Hudson Valley in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. The Chicago Cubs then took him in the Rule 5 Draft and immediately traded him to the Reds.
His rookie season was a success except for the injuries. He was fourth among National League rookies in home runs, fifth in on-base percentage (.368) and his slugging percentage (.554) was second only to Rookie of the Year Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Hamilton is originally from North Carolina and is close to former Reds manager Jerry Narron and his brother Johnny. Jerry Narron also managed the Rangers in 2001-02 and spoke at length with Hicks and the Rangers personnel department about Hamilton before doing the deal.
His remarkable story has made headlines this season not only because of his off the field recovery but his on the field production.
Josh Hamilton currently leads the major leagues in RBI’s (76), is first in the American League in home runs (19) and is eighth in the American League in batting average (.310).
