Joshua Holt Hamilton

Hamilton hitting a homerun (http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2007/04/19/AQqxx8OA.jpg)

Josh Hamilton Is currently the Texas Rangers center fielder. He previously played for the Cincinnati Reds where he had the talent to move “The Sweetest Swing in Baseball”, Ken Griffey Jr., to right field. In order to do that you must have that talent that only very few MLB players have. By definition, Josh Hamilton would be considered famous, but he is very underrated and not widely known. Josh’s life story is very underappreciated, his life after his first stint in baseball was a disaster. And what he has accomplished after that one season is truly remarkable. And that’s why Joshua Holt Hamilton is my hero.

Josh Hamilton before an at-bat (http://www.sosnickcobbesports.com)

Josh Hamilton, born Joshua Holt Hamilton, had many troubles during his baseball career. He was an up and coming player without question until many troubles plagued his life. Hamilton was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, (now just the Rays) in 1999 first overall. All teams recognized his talent and knew that he would be one of the best center fielders that were actively playing. But something tragic happened in the 2001 off-season. He was in a car crash. Though not seriously injured, this was the beginning of an uphill battle for him.

On July 15, 2002 Hamilton failed his second drug test getting him suspended for 25 games. He used drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, LSD, and heroin. He was accused of using anabolic steroids, but he passed that test. During his suspension Hamilton became more addicted to these substances. In 2003 Hamilton went and got 26 tattoos on his body symbolizing many different things. At this point Hamilton was considered to be throwing his life away. In spring training with the Devil Rays, Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella told Hamilton to go home and get his life straight. Hamilton was upset by these words and joined a rehabilitation program. He did not complete this program and remained off the team for the remainder of the season because of “undisclosed off-field problems”.

Hamilton getting a base knock (http://images.google.com/images)

Once again Josh Hamilton was reinstated, yet failed another drug test getting him suspended for another 30 games. This is when Hamilton decided to turn his life around. On October 8, 2005 Hamilton made a commitment to never do drugs again. He kept his promise; this decision will probably be the most important one of his life. On June 30 Hamilton was reinstated and made his return to the field with the Hudson Valley Renegades. He played well, but not fantastic. He took part in extended practices determined to make it back to the majors. But, on July 29 he suffered a season-ending left knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery. Hamilton ended up on the Chicago Cubs where he was soon traded to the Cincinnati Reds for money. In order to keep Hamilton in their system they had to keep him on the full 25-man roster for the entire 2006 season. In spring training Hamilton played jaw-droppingly well. With a batting average of .403 he earned himself a spot on the Reds roster. On April 2, 2007 Hamilton made his official major league return where he was a pinch hitter for Reds pitcher Kirk Saarloos. Before the at-bat Hamilton received a 22 second long standing ovation for his accomplishments. In that at-bat he hit a line drive to left field where the left fielder made an outstanding sliding catch.

Josh Hamilton warming up (http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/03/27/PH2007032700233.jpg)

Josh Hamilton has accomplished a lot of things in his career. In 2007, Hamilton was the runner up rookie of the year to Ryan Braun. In 2007, Hamilton played 90 games with a .292 BA, 33 walks, 3 stolen bases, 47 RBI’s, 19 homeruns, 52 runs, 87 hits, in only 298 AB’s. With only 90 games played (5/9 of the season) those are pretty amazing stats. He hit a homerun every 15.68 at-bats, the only people to do better than that were Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, Barry Bonds, Jim Thome, and Adam Dunn. Those are some of the best players in the MLB currently. Hamilton is now considered an elite player and one of the few "five tool players" in major league baseball. These are the reasons that make Josh Hamilton my hero.