Josh Hamilton: Why Texas Rangers Slugger Will Set a New Home Run Record

Despite not hitting more than 32 home runs in a single season yet, Josh Hamilton is simply dominating at the plate right now.

With 18 slams, a .402 batting average and 49 hits, Hamilton's first month of games this season is nothing short of impressive. Not to mention, but even rival pitchers are praising him as well. C.J. Wilson of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim gave this perspective via Twitter:

"

I know a lot of people might want to pitch around hamilton, but their lineup is too good.He might break bonds record this year, no joke

"

"— C.J. Wilson (@str8edgeracer) May 12, 2012"

So with Wilson mentioning the home run record, let's take a look at why the Texas Rangers slugger will pass Barry Bonds.

Current Pace

Hamilton's current pace is astounding. By comparison to 2011 alone, he's set to potentially oust those numbers by mid-June. All of last season, Hamilton had 25 homers, 94 RBI and 145 hits in 487 at-bats.

Those numbers alone are damn good and provided that Hamilton remains consistent this season (barring a slump that lasts two months), he'll likely close out the regular season with 75 jacks and a .365 batting average.

He's bound to hit a slump at some point during the season, as it happens to every player in baseball at every position every year. It simply depends on how long that slump lasts.

And taking a look at the Rangers lineup, the entire team would have to pull a 180-degree nosedive for Hamilton to completely slow down.

Rangers Lineup

Right now, the Texas Rangers rank No. 1 in runs-scored (194), batting average (.291) and slugging percentage (.480). The Rangers also rank No. 2 with a .439 on-base percentage, so it's safe to say that Hamilton isn't the only one putting on a show.

With at least 25 games played so far in 2012, Texas has six players with a batting average above .270 and 10 with an on-base percentage above .300 (including Hamilton). Even more impressive, the Rangers lineup presents nine players with an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) above .720.

Averaging almost six runs per game, Texas' offense has scored in every game and has a "Murderers Row"-esque presence like the New York Yankees from the 1920s. Yes, that's a deep stretch in comparison, but there's no denying how consistently dominant everyone in the Rangers lineup has been along with Hamilton.

It's a two-way street as Hamilton feeds off his teammates' success while they feed of his presence at the dish.

Opportunities

Everything previously mentioned comes down to one thing: opportunities.

Hamilton would not be able to remain consistent without making at least three to four plate appearances a game. Three is obviously a given, considering each batter gets at least that per game (provided they play a full nine innings), but that one extra at-bat makes an astronomical difference considering the length of a season.

Now include how explosive the Texas offense has been thus far, as well as his dominance and it's a win-win situation. Hamilton already averages almost four plate appearances per game and we're not even in June yet.

Pitchers don't have the luxury to throw around him, so he'll also see a decrease in intentional walks. Finally, the American League has certainly become more competitive as the Orioles and Indians currently sit atop their respective divisions.

In turn, this creates a stronger playoff push from the Yankees, Rays, White Sox and Tigers. Although none of those teams are in the Rangers' division, 25 combined games remain against those opponents.

John Rozum on Twitter.