Josh Hamilton’s troubled journey through MLB and his addictions - Part 2
He proved to be one of the Reds’ best hitters and he left Spring Training camp with a .403 batting average. The Reds had planned to use him as a fourth out-fielder initially but due to an injury to Ryan Freel he spent most of his time in centre-field.
His much anticipated debut in April came against the Chicago Cubs where he received a 22 second standing ovation. Josh and the Reds had their challenges during the season but by mid-season Hamilton managed to find his comfort zone. By the end of the season,
Josh was hitting .300 along with 298 at bats and had belted out 19 home-runs. He was an unqualified success.
His first trip to the Disabled List was in May because he suffered from gastroenteritis from which he was activated after 15 days. His second trip came in July due to a sprained wrist. It was during this time that John moved in with him. Due to all his injuries
he was shut-out in the Rookie of the Year voting which Ryan Braun eventually managed to win.
At the end of 2007 the Texas Rangers approached the Reds regarding Hamilton. The Reds decided to trade Hamilton to the Rangers for Edinson Volquez, who was one of the best pitchers for Texas and Danny Herrera, a young hurler.
At that time the Rangers pitching line-up was nothing to write about so for every game they had their hopes on the sluggers. Josh quickly established himself in the team and managed to emerge as one of the best out of the bunch of already talented sluggers.
His batting was near .500 and he converted many lost games to wins at the last inning with his hits. Within a month’s time Josh was punishing the ball at .330 and had gathered six home-runs along with an impressive 32 RBIs. He was back to the player he used
to be before drugs got involved and many feared that he might once again go down that path but thankfully to everyone’s relief, Hamilton stuck to the game and proved himself as more than just a troubled star. By June he was leading his league with 15 home-runs
and 63 RBIs.
When pitching he was just as great as when held a bat in his hand and he got the job done. One of his game saving catches against the Mariners was what established him as more than just a powerful slugger. He was at his very best no matter what position
he was at.
By 2009 the Rangers had grown as a franchise to be reckoned with in the world of MLB. Even though they were doing quite good it can’t be argued that they would have been better had Hamilton been on the team playing. He was sent to the Disabled List due to
bruised ribs at first and then later he was diagnosed with an abdominal tear which required surgical attention to be fixed. After the injury Josh was back on the field in time for the All-Star Game. He marked his return with a run in his first inning back
after being on the Disabled List for over a month.
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