Josh Hamilton, OF, Cincinnati Reds

May 4, 2007 @ 16:00:00

By Richard Garcia
Edited by Ryan Dodson

Sometimes sports can act as a window into the lives of incredible people. Without sports we wouldn't know the story of Josh Hamilton. Hamilton, who currently holds a spot in the Cincinnati Reds outfield, is a remarkable case of survival. Years of alcohol and drug addiction have plagued the 25-year-old prospect; something he has set out to make a thing of his past.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays made Hamilton the first overall pick of the 1999 draft - the first high school position player to be so honored since New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez six years earlier - and paid him a record signing bonus of $3.96 million.

Hamilton was selected third overall in the MLB portion of the 2006 Rule 5 Draft by the Chicago Cubs; the Devil Rays did not place him on their 40-man roster. The Cubs then traded Hamilton to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for $50,000. In their coverage of the Rule 5 draft, Chris Kline and John Manuel of Baseball America called Hamilton the biggest name in the Rule 5 in years. In order to permanently retain the rights to Hamilton, the Reds must keep him on their 25-man major league roster for the entire 2007 season.

Fantasy Perspective

According to MLB.com, Cincinnati Reds outfielder Josh Hamilton was named National League Rookie of the Month for April. Hamilton led all rookies with six home runs and tied for the lead among major league rookies with 13 RBI. Hamilton also led all rookies with a .609 slugging percentage and posted a .365 on base percentage. He batted .266 (17-64) with 12 runs, two doubles and a stolen base. This marks the first time that a member of the Reds has earned the honor since Austin Kearns in May 2002. 

Hamilton did not play an inning of organized baseball from spring training of 2003 to July 2006. So far this season it wouldn't seem that that was possible. Hamilton has solidified a position in the outfield; starting the majority of games for the Reds.

Manager Jerry Narron has Hamilton batting leadoff, but this probably will not continue for long.

"To be honest with you, I'm not crazy about him leading off, it's just with the makeup of our team, it's almost by default that he's leading off," said Narron after an April 25 game.

Narron recently put Ryan Freel at third base; giving Edwin Encarnacion a much needed rest. Narron plans on keeping Hamilton in the lineup. That means Freel, who played at both second and third base last season, will see more time in the infield as a super-sub.

Hamilton has brought a powerful presence to the Reds lineup. On a projected pace to hit over 40 home runs, Hamilton, along with outfielders Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr., make a potent combo.

This is a great sign for Hamilton owners. Still look for Hamilton to continue to start a majority of the games for the Reds. With Freel seeing more time in the infield it looks like he and Encarnacion will share playing time.

Durability could be an issue later in the season. It has been several years since Hamilton has played on a regular basis. Power is Hamilton's biggest attribute. He is second on the team begind home run-hitting machine Adam Dunn.

If there is a trade on the table that is a no-brainer then one might look to make it. We are going to give Hamilton the benefit of the doubt and recommend holding onto him. He brings a tremendous amount of potential to any fantasy team. With the support of his coach as well, it doesn't look like Hamilton will miss any time soon.

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Richard Garcia
Garcia served as a managing editor for KFFL. Prior to his time with KFFL, Richard worked in managerial roles with both Frito-Lay Inc. and UPS. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in public relations from California State Polytechnic University-Pomona and fulfilled his internship requirements with the Los Angeles Kings Hockey organization in 2001.

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