Josh Hamilton looks back at last year’s experience after coming back from injury – MLB News
The Texas Rangers are preparing for the American League Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers and they are working hard at home to get prepared for the challenge that will test their mettle for being defending Champions this year.
The club is holding regular workout sessions at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and Josh Hamilton got the chance to talk about his problems from last year that show a similar pattern with Nelson Cruz. The 2010 American League Most Valuable Player spoke of
the experience on Thursday, October 6.
Nelson Cruz has been back with the Rangers since the September 13. The player however has not been able to provide a good knock with the bat. In the American League Division Series, Cruz went 1-for-15 in four games against the Tampa Bay Rays. Hamilton had
a similar experience in 2010 when the Rangers took on the Rays in the Division Series.
He went 2-for-18 in the series before he moved to the Championship Series to hit 7-for-20. He brought home; seven RBIs and four home-runs for the club to earn the Most Valuable Player accolade for the series. Hamilton came back to the Rangers in 2010 three
games before the playoffs as he was sidelined for almost the entire month of September with broken ribs.
"I figured out in the first round kind of what they were doing, throwing off-speed and not really giving me anything to hit," Hamilton said. "They played off my aggressiveness. This is the point of the year where you have to restrain yourself. At this time
of the year it's about winning. However you can do that, whether it be being patient and taking balls and passing it to the next guy.”
Cruz was 8-for-20 against the Tamp Bay Rays in the Division Series in 2010. His .400 batting average was then followed with a 7-for-20 knock, against the Yankees. If the Rangers have learned one thing from Hamilton’s experience, it is that Cruz can do what
he did and make a comeback and improve his overall performance.
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