Josh Hamilton: What If He Still Played for the Tampa Bay Rays

Let's take a trip down memory lane and play a little "what if" along the way.

We will start our journey at the top of the 1999 MLB draft when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays drafted Josh Hamilton with the number one overall pick.

We are well aware of his battles with drug and alcohol addiction in the real story, but let's adjust the space-time continuum and hop in the DeLorean and adjust the outcome.

What if Hamilton never had to deal with the demons that have made his story probably the greatest comeback story in baseball. For the sake of this discussion, we will make the assumption that every other subsequent decision is not affected by keeping him in Tampa Bay.

What would the 2008 season look like when the Rays made their improbable run to the postseason and ultimately the World Series?

Imagine an outfield of Hamilton, Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton. Not to mention Rocco Baldelli mixed into the outfield depth. That combination likely could have provided the lethal defense, offense and baserunning combination to get the team over the hump against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Sure the question would be if the team could have been able to afford the extra salary Hamilton would have required.

We also don't know how attendance and the stadium discussion may be different with another offensive weapon on the team. If the Rays win the World Series rather than losing to the Phillies, does the attendance situation change?

At the end of the day we cannot go back to change the past, but sometimes, you just can't help but to wonder.

What if.