In 2008, the Texas Rangers made a great trade and landed Josh Hamilton from the Cincinnati Reds for a good pitcher and the top prospect in the Rangers' system, Edinson Volquez. Josh Hamilton, a former #1 pick overall by the Tampa Bay Rays was 27 at the time. Wait, so how did a former #1 pick end up with the Reds? Well, long story short, Hamilton got addicted to cocaine and lost his opportunity to mature in the Rays' system. He got cut and a few years later, cleaned his act up and signed a contract with the Reds.
Josh played for half a season in Cincinnati and that was more than enough for the Rangers to give up their top prospect for the troubled, yet talented, outfielder. Since the Rangers have signed Hamilton, he has been the cornerstone player of the franchise. His coming out party was the day he put on a show at the 2008 Home Run Derby. Arguably one of the greatest athletes in baseball, he claimed the 2010 AL MVP award while leading the Rangers to back to back World Series appearances. Along with gaudy offensive numbers and amazing defensive play, Josh Hamilton was absolutely THE MOST valuable player on the Texas Rangers. But that was the problem.
Josh Hamilton's demons never left... they were beaten back by a great environment provided by the Rangers' organization. With Johnny Narron serving as his own personal "accountability coach," Hamilton was able to stay out of trouble for the most part. However, what we DO know is that got in trouble on more than one occasion while getting drunk and partying with a bunch of women in Arizona, away from his team and wife. We know he had a relapse again soon thereafter. For a man that was put on a pedestal as a "great guy" and touted himself as a christian and did everything he could to go out of his way to mention God in every interview he did, Hamilton certainly did NOT walk the walk. Now, he's going to Los Angeles where not only is there 100x the temptation than there was in Dallas, TX but he's also only a few hours from Las Vegas... what could possibly go wrong, right?
Hamilton is now 31 years old. He is peaking right now. His career numbers will not get any higher. He can't stay healthy. We're talking about giving 25mil/yr to a player with serious demons and who can only stay healthy for an average of 122 games per season. That's just under $205k per GAME PLAYED. The Angels have decided that they're going to invest 100mil/yr in 4 guys to try and compete with Texas. On paper, the Angels should be walk-away winners this year. But, they should've been walk-away winners last year as well. The Angels have gone all-in on Pujols, Weaver, Wilson, and Hamilton. Their minor league system is the worst in MLB. They still have huge contracts like Vernon Wells who is their #6 outfielder and a poor catching situation, not to mention a mediocre staff behind Weaver. If there's anything the Rangers' fans should have learned over their entire history, it's that offense isn't what wins championships. While Hamilton's loss is a big blow to the offense, it's not like the Rangers are going to war with a cap gun. The heart of the Rangers order still has Beltre and Cruz and will probably include another power bat by the time the offseason is over.
If the Rangers continue to focus on upgrading their starting pitching, they'll continue to be contenders for the division title. It's easy to sit here and look at what the Rangers have done (or haven't done) this winter and think this team is going to be worse than they were last year. However, the Rangers have upgraded by trading Young to make room for Profar. It was obvious that Young was an anchor holding the team back last season. Hamilton did his part to let the Rangers down last season as well when it looked like he just stopped playing after the All-Star break. Napoli did a whole lot of nothing last season to help this team. They didn't get Grienke, but they didn't have him last year either. Same for Justin Upton. If the Rangers continue to be smart with their payroll and keep having good drafts and international signings, they'll be just fine. The loss of Josh Hamilton was a big blow, but the WAR swing still isn't enough for the Angels to overtake the Rangers last season. After they lost Grienke, all Hamilton does is replace those games lost... assuming he stays healthy.
Oh, and Josh Hamilton killed a guy at the ballpark.
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