We're almost two months into the season, and the American League has a legit Triple Crown candidate. The last Triple Crown winner was Carl Yastrzemski for the Boston Red Sox in 1967; Yaz batted .326, with 44 home runs and 127 RBI.
This season, Josh Hamilton is attempting to do what no other player has done in over 40 years. Currently, Hamilton is batting .324, with 13 home runs and a major-league-leading 58 RBI. The current batting-average leader is Hideki Matsui, who is hitting .330. Carlos Quentin leads the home run race with 14 long balls.
Hamilton is having a Herculean season for the Texas Rangers, with a chance to make his first All-Star game, and is on pace to challenge the all-time single-season RBI total, set by Hack Wilson in 1930 with 191 RBI. Only one Major League player has hit more than 161 RBI in a season since 1940. Manny Ramirez hit 165 RBI in 1999. Hamilton is currently on pace for 174 RBI this season.
But to truly understand how amazing of a season, and two-year career, that Josh Hamilton is having, you have to understand where he came from. Hamilton was the first-overall draft pick by Tampa Bay in 1999, but he didn’t make his major-league debut until 2007.
Why did it take so long? What happened to delay the major-league debut of 1999's USA Baseball’s Amateur Player of the Year and Baseball America’s High School Player of the Year?
In his first two professional seasons, Josh received accolade after accolade; he seemed to be everyone’s top prospect. But an injury in August 2000 ended his season early, which was followed by a motorcycle injury six months later that lead to an eventual DL stint that lasted until late June.
Shortly after returning from that injury, Josh suffered a season-ending injury. Then in 2002, his season seemed over before it even got started, with more injuries, and again in 2003, bringing his total of missed games in a three-year span to about 236.
With all of this free time on his hands, not being able to play the game that he loves, Josh found himself hanging out with the wrong crowd. He would spend his time and money at local tattoo parlors, decorating his body with 32 images of whatever seemed intriguing at the time. This led directly to Josh’s drinking problems and addiction to drugs.
Josh tested positive for substance abuse, and was suspended from baseball and put into a treatment program. But he received his worst news to date in February 2004, when he was banned indefinitely from baseball for violating the league’s joint drug treatment and prevention program. This only led to Josh falling deeper and deeper into what he described later as the hellhole he lived in.
The lowest point for him was during a crack binge in October 2005, which would end up being his last. Josh found himself, in the early morning hours, lying on his grandmother’s doorstep, his body nearly completely wasted away. He had exiled himself from the support of his wife, stepdaughter, and his family.
It was at this point that he began the journey back.
With constant support while living with his grandmother, his wife never wavering in her love for him, and constant prayers from his family, Josh was able to find the Lord, and use that strength to pull himself out of the hell he had dug himself into.
Josh talks of a horrible nightmare during the first week of sobriety in October 2005. He was fighting the devil, a creature that was heart-wrenching to look at. He would use some type of blunt object to hit the devil, however the devil kept getting back up and he was never able to defeat him. He would wake up in a terror, sweating profusely, and exhausted, as if he was really fighting the devil.
In June 2006, Josh Hamilton received the news that Major League Baseball had reinstated his eligibility. A few weeks later, his nightmare returned. But this time, as Hamilton tells the story, when fighting the devil, there was another fighting beside him, Jesus Christ. Hamilton says that he was filled with the strength of the Lord, and together they defeated the devil.
Josh says that the devil still appears in his mind, he talks to him and tells himself that these are just thoughts, and the devil goes away. Almost three years have past since that early morning on his grandmother’s doorstep, and Josh Hamilton has been sober that entire time.
In December 2006, due to a Rule Five acquisition, Hamilton became a member of the Cincinnati Reds. Long-time friend, and mentor, Johnny Narron was the Reds' video coordinator at the time ,and his brother, Jerry Narron, was the manager. The two of them acted as mentors for Hamilton in his days with the Reds.
Hamilton made the Opening Day roster for the Reds, and went on to have a solid season; in 90 games he batted .292, with 19 home runs and 47 RBI. He still had to deal with his past, whether it was questions from the media or road fans heckling him.
One story he enjoys telling was when a St. Louis fan yelled out, “My name is Josh Hamilton, and I’m a drug addict!” Hamilton turned around, raised his palms to the sky and said, “Tell me something I don’t know, dude!” The entire section began to laugh and cheered for him the rest of the game.
On Dec. 21, 2007, Josh Hamilton was traded from Cincinnati to the Texas Rangers in exchange for highly-touted Ranger pitcher Edinson Volquez.
Ever since, Josh has felt welcomed and at home in Texas. At his first news conference, the Texas media asked for him to tell his story and talk about his drug addiction. Hamilton said he was most impressed to see his new teammates Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, and Hank Blalock come into the room to listen to him as well.
During this season’s Spring Training and early in the season, Josh has had to answer tons of repetitive questions about his drug addiction. However, he says that it doesn’t bother him, because he feels that this is his mission to talk about his life and show people that there is always hope.
Three times a week Hamilton is tested for drug abuse. Instead of being negative about the frequency of testing, Hamilton says he looks forward to it, because he knows it will come up negative. Knowing that just one positive test would render him a life-long suspension from baseball, Josh delights in the weekly victories over his cravings.
Hamilton and the Rangers are returning from a road series in Tampa Bay. It was Josh’s first trip back to where he was originally drafted. When he was first introduced, the fans gave him a standing ovation, with some boos mixed in. On the second game of the series, Hamilton guaranteed a Ranger victory with an eighth inning grand slam.
Josh Hamilton has some big shoes to fill in Texas. He was acquired in a trade with a young pitcher, and the Rangers traded away Mark Teixeira last season. However, the impact that Hamilton has brought to this team has far exceeded what the Texas Rangers, and their fans, could have imagined.
If Josh continues to hit on his current pace, then his numbers at the end of the season would be a .329 batting average, with 216 hits, 39 home runs, 9 triples, 45 doubles, 93 extra-base hits, 396 total bases, and 174 RBI.
There is even some early talk of the Rangers front office wrapping-up Hamilton to a long-term contract with the club. Something that three years ago seemed impossible for him, but his story has only proved that failure is not measured in the number of times that you are defeated, failure is when you decide to quit.
Josh Hamilton never quit on his own life, and now he is a Triple Crown candidate, the AL April Player of the Month, a potential MVP, and on his way to possibly one of the most inspirational stories and seasons in baseball history.
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4 months ago
Wow, I had never heard the story of Josh Hamilton before! Where did you get all this information?! What an original article!!! Holy moly!!!!
from 4 months ago
Thanks, I was a fan of his last year, a huge fan when he was traded to the Rangers, but now after hearing more and more about his story, the guy is an inspiration. Lot of my information I have gotten over listening to countless interviews he has done on TV, but a big portion came from an article that he told in first person back in July 2007
4 months ago
great read Matthew! Hamilton is truly a great story that needs to be told. Just wish that cable sports network would highlight this stuff without him having to play for one of those AL East teams.
from 4 months ago
True that, yeah when the Rangers start playing the Red Sox and Yankees, maybe then everyone will hear his name
4 months ago
that's not really fair. I knew most of the information in this article beause I heard and read it on ESPN. Take this article for example:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2926447
Where do you think Matt got the details for the article, like the "sweating profusely"? There's even an ESPN Insider story by Tim Keown about Josh Hamilton called "Hell and Back," which makes me think this headline should probably be changed, but my point is not to criticize Matt it is to defend ESPN, since it has become vogue to say "ESPN doesn't care about team x because they don't play in a big media market"
from 4 months ago
I wrote this article, not to take credit away from ESPN, just simply get this story out there. I think a lot of people know that he had some kind of an addiction, but are very vague on the details
from 4 months ago
absolutey Matt, I know that's why you wrote it and didn't mean to take any credit away from your story. I was looking to point out the media influences simply to refute the claim above me in the comments (which I thought I was replying to, apparently i didnt click the write button) that Hamilton isn't getting any presss... I mean, the guy is on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week.
from 4 months ago
I was not aware of this coverage, I stopped reading SI years ago and really only watch Baseball Tonight on ESPN and only go to their website for stats. If they had a feature on him I have missed it. I didn't mean to strike a nerve with those comments, just wanted to get across that this is a must story for all to see and that I had yet to see it anywhere. I guess I am in the minority on my thoughts on the national media coverage of sports, which is why I love going to sights such as this. You can decide what you want to read about.
from 4 months ago
I do understand the frustration Michael, being a Pirates fan living in New York I pretty much have to go to the ends of the earth to hear anything about my team. I think a lot of people agree with you about ESPN and other networks, and at times I do as well (for example the coverage of the Luc Bourdon death hardly even made the website). And you are definitely write about this specialized coverage being one of the things that makes bleacher report great... although there still are only two or three pirate writers on this site too!
just wanted to make sure you knew i meant nothing personal by my comments either, i just had a minor disagreement with you on this point and thought it would be appropriate to voice it for discourse, stimulating conversation, all that jazz. really enjoyed your power rankings post yesterday, congrats on pick of the day.
from 4 months ago
thanks andrew, I had a lot of help from the talented guys sending in the ballots. It came together quite well.
Anyway, I appreciate the heads up on those stories. I will go check it out on their site. I guess I had been shutting it out for so long, getting tired of not hearing about my interests that I turned elsewhere and keep assuming things haven't changed. With all of the specialized home town networks and websites and the sort, there wasn't much need anymore.
p.s. I hadn't even heard of the Luc Bourdon death until this comment. What a shame.
from 4 months ago
Seems that the coverage that Josh Hamilton deserves and that we all are talking about for him and small market teams, is actually paying off. Since Hamilton was shown as 6th in AL outfielders, he has hit .417 and been on the SI cover...now he is 2nd in outfield voting, coincidence???
4 months ago
I'll mirror the other comments: Thank you for the type of stories that I love, one that shows the brighter side of today's baseball despite today's media, giving time and attention well-deserved to a very talented player who has gone through so much and who we can actually look up to and root for as people, and as fans.
from 4 months ago
Yeah it is nice everyone once in a while to hear about players like this, instead of athletes doing the opposite things.
4 months ago
Getting tattoos led to him becoming involved with drugs and alcohol? I doubt it. Nice to see him back though. And yes I've seen ESPN's coverage of Hamilton. You'll see more of it if he continues on this tear.
from 4 months ago
Hamilton tells in his own words on a interview with Fox Sports Net, about how he would spend his money from the minors to do anything that made him feel good. Eventually he started hanging out at a tattoo parlor, getting his tattoos. Hamilton then goes on to say that he started hanging out with some of the people there, going partying, and all that. He states that during those times is when he got into heavy drinking and drugs.
from 4 months ago
Fair enough. We are a nefarious bunch! The tattooed world populace that is...
from 4 months ago
Oh yeah I meant bad about tattoos, got one myself, Irish flag with two firefighter axes behind it. I did re-read that and I can see how it can be taken that I'm saying that tattoos lead to drugs...oops, its like the high school sex ed teacher saying, "if you have sex, you will get aids, and die"
from 4 months ago
...meant nothing bad....
sorry, can't type tonight
4 months ago
I think he may or may not have seen the story as well as the sports illustrated story, to hell and back is a very generic saying for somebody that has been through what Hamilton has been through. Also, seeing as Matt is a Rangers fan, it is quite possible that he knew this story before it was reported by the mass media.
from 4 months ago
Not saying it was copied or anything Joe, mainly just responding to the folks who said it wasn't being covered and they'd never heard of Hamilton. I thought it was a nice piece.
from 4 months ago
Yeah I haven't seen the SI article yet, but i'm waiting at the mailbox for it...better come today.
And yes Joe, I try my best to follow this story, really on a daily basis, its just nice to see him beginning to get this national attention.
from 4 months ago
I stopped having "favorite" athletes a long time ago, but I can say without a doubt that Josh Hamilton is my favorite baseball player. I hated seeing my Reds trade him, but they got what they desperately needed and I can't say it was a bad move. In the only game I attended last year, Hamilton hit a hard gapper to left-center that looked like extra bases. I followed the ball the entire way until a St. Louis outfielder chased it down and caught it on a full sprint towards the warning track - inning over.
What I'll never forget about that ordinary play is when the ball was caught, I diverted my eyes back to the infield and I'll be damned...Josh was a step from second base when the ball was caught - the guy can absolutely FLY on the basepath.
I'm rooting for him.
from 4 months ago
Yes his ability to run the bases has been amazing, at least ten times this year he has turned a double play into a one-out fielders choice, it's those little things that end up making th difference more times than not
4 months ago
It killed me when the Reds traded Josh but the trade has worked out for both teams. The guy's a natural 3-4 hitter and Cincy consistenly batted him first due to Griffey and Phillips.
As someone who has counseled members of the addiction population, his story is exceptional. Addiction isn't really something one overcomes so much as it is something one learns to cope with daily.
I loved watching Josh play for the Reds last year. It's a great story and I just can't hear it enough.
Thanks, Matthew.
from 4 months ago
Yeah i think that if the Rangers traded him away or let him go due to free agency, I would still cheer for the guy, but it would kill me to see him in another uniform
4 months ago
quality article, i find it amazing that some people still boo him, i dont care who you root for, how can you not cheer his story?
from 4 months ago
Yeah that's what I was listening to in his first plate appearance in Tampa Bay, but I'm sure fans like that are few and far between in Tampa, and really anywhere
4 months ago
I wish the Cubs had held onto him! Remember they made the Rule 5 pick then sold him to the Reds.
from 4 months ago
Bob, I'm pretty sure that the Cubs drafted him for the Reds in a prearranged deal.
from 4 months ago
Yeah it's definitely one of those moves, if any team could go back to the offseason before 2007, when Hamilton was there for anybody to take, but who knew he would do what he is doing today.
4 months ago
I can't say one way or the other about copying, but this is not an original article. I heard all these stories over the last few years as several articles were written over this time period. Either way, it's an amalgamation of stories, compiled in a fluid way. I'd be careful about using headlines, quotes and well known analogies that are current in the media.
4 months ago
Jeff, I know you're right. Still, one can dream, right? :)
from 4 months ago
Think your wishing the Cubs had held on to me, how about the (Devil) Rays...oops
4 months ago
Good read. BTW, this is my favorite story in baseball in a long time
from 4 months ago
Thanks man, yeah this is a great story and even if he didn't play for my Rangers I would still be a huge fan and cheer this guy to success.
4 months ago
Thanks man, yeah this is a great story and even if he didn't play for my Rangers I would still be a huge fan and cheer this guy to success.
from 4 months ago
And who can blame you? Man, what an inspiration to everyone. Being able to come back from all that, and have what seems like a strong faith is absolutely incredible.
I really REALLY enjoyed your article. I had never heard the whole story, but it's a great one...
from 4 months ago
Thanks Andy. When he was with the Rays and going through the problems I didn't follow the story that much, but kind of kept tabs. But when he re-surfaced with the Reds and I saw a couple of videos of the way he played, I knew right then he was going to be a special player. And he even says that baseball is third in his life behind the Lord and his family.
2 months ago
I actually was an umpire of Josh's when he was a little leaguer in West Raleigh. Very happy to see him develop into a great ball player and an inspiration to some many.
from 2 months ago
Really, that's awesome...I would love to have played ball with or even against him and try to get the guy out.
Thanks for the comments, been a while since anybody has read this article. Thanks
about 1 month ago
I heard part of his story on ESPN, but I love reading the rest. Great article. I added it to my picks.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks man, yeah his story is nothing short of miraclous and the guy is extremely down to earth and nice, he will spend so much time to sign autographs and talk to the fans.
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