5 Reasons Josh Hamilton Would Be the Perfect Fit for Fenway Park

After dumping three of their most gruesome contracts in a blockbuster trade, the Boston Red Sox are poised to compete for this winter's top free agents.

Outfielder Josh Hamilton will be the best available, but is it a sensible fit?

I say absolutely.

Every feature of Fenway Park plays to the superstar's strengths. Conveniently, the Red Sox have newfound payroll flexibility that will enable them to negotiate a nine-figure deal with Hamilton.

Putting his off-the-field issues aside, I'll explain how the organization and individual would mesh in 2013 and beyond.

The Green Monster

Josh Hamilton is comfortable spraying the ball to all fields.

According to FanGraphs, nearly 29 percent of his career hits have been to left.

That trend would certainly continue if he was playing regularly at Fenway Park. Because the Green Monster is so close to home plate (310 feet down the foul line), plenty of the extra-base hits he mashes the opposite way would reach the seats.

Hamilton's home runs are often no-doubters, so the wall's 37-foot height shouldn't rob him of any round-trippers.

Don't believe me? Take a gander at his past blasts on the ESPN Home Run Tracker using a Fenway Park overlay.

The Triangle

Another of the venue's features could affect his offensive production—"The Triangle."

But not in the way you might expect.

Gifted with deceptive speed, Josh Hamilton thrives in places with oddly-shaped outfields. He attacks the gaps and makes aggressive baserunning decisions.

Opposing center fielders at Fenway Park struggle with balls that dunk over the heads and those that test their lateral movement.

Not surprisingly, Boston's home is the only road ballpark in which Hamilton has recorded multiple triples. Many more of those to come if an agreement can be reached.

Jacoby Ellsbury Patrols Center Field

The 2010 AL MVP is often touted as a five-tool player, but that simply doesn't hold true because he's being used in center field.

As a bulky individual, his defense suffers from a lack of range (career 13.5 UZR as CF, according to FanGraphs). Despite sure-handedness and an adequate throwing arm, he's a liability when given more ground to cover.

The points I brought up in the previous slide suggest he would embarrass himself. Moreover, Hamilton admitted that the extra running taxes his body (h/t ESPNDallas.com).

Fortunately, Jacoby Ellsbury's presence would let him comfortably settle in as a left fielder.

Ellsbury has had years to adjust to Fenway Park's quirks. He was awarded a Gold Glove for his error-less excellence last season.

More Meetings with the Baltimore Orioles

Josh Hamilton's lifetime .991 OPS versus the Baltimore Orioles hasn't been matched against any other opponent (min. 150 PA).

You figure he'd be enthusiastic to join the AL East and face them more frequently, right?

Back in May, Josh Hamilton famously gutted the O's with four home runs in a single night.

Fan Support

Boston Red Sox fans can be impatient, rowdy and violent, but their passion is commendable.

For the past decade, they have intimidated visiting teams by purchasing every ticket. Fenway Park's active streak of 782 consecutive sellouts is the longest in U.S. pro sports history.

The Texas Rangers draw huge crowds as well, but there's really no comparison. Quite literally, Sox fans would give their lives for a star player with good citizenship.

Josh Hamilton can't find that support anywhere else.

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