Baseball All-Star Josh Hamilton, former Texas Ranger outfielder, signed a $125 million contract to play for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in December of 2012. During the first two seasons with the Angels, Hamilton faced challenges in his health and marriage. Those challenges might just be what brings him back to finish out his contract with the Texas Rangers.
Friday, April 24, it was announced that the Angels were looking into trading Hamilton back to the Texas Rangers. The deal closed that following Monday. Hamilton was traded back to the Rangers, and the Angels would either receive cash, or another player during the trade.
Hamilton recently underwent shoulder surgery and was recovering at home during the off season. During his recovery, he self-announced a drug relapse, regarding the use of cocaine. The issue was never to be released to the public, stated in his contract, but with the news out, people began to doubt his return to the league. The arbitrator’s ruling with the issue of Hamilton came back negative, saying that he was not to be suspended from the game of baseball. Teammates of the Angels showed disappointment in Hamilton, saying it would be different if he performed exceptionally during the 2014 season, hitting only .263 for the season. During Hamilton’s recovery and relapse, he filed for divorce with his wife of 11 years, Katie Hamilton.
Despite all that has happened recently with Hamilton, the best numbers of his baseball career were when he was with the Rangers. In his 2012 season with the Rangers, Hamilton hit .285 with an on base percentage of .354 and hit 43 home runs. Hamilton was still booed during his last few games with the Rangers. Even though Hamilton left on rocky terms in 2012, saying that Dallas is not a ‘baseball town’ and more, he shouldn’t be treated differently when he returns to Texas.
Hamilton’s return to the Rangers will be the best thing for him. Even though he might be hated by fans, the overall stadium should welcome him back, maybe they should ‘prove him wrong’ about what he said about Dallas not being a baseball town. Hamilton gave the performance of his life with the Rangers from 2008 to 2012. Despite the fans booing him as he came up to hit, he still came to play. No matter what, Hamilton will always play for his team, even if his team doesn’t approve of his performance. As baseball fans, we can only welcome Hamilton back to Texas and expect great things to come.
