Texas Rangers to Look at Former MVP Josh Hamilton (Again)
I can’t think of anyone whose career has had more ups and downs than Josh Hamilton. He’s been through it all, and for many of us, we’ve seen it all. And every time he appears to be “gone” and ready to be moved into our long-term memory for safekeeping, there’s a reemergence that kindles the appetite for more of the promise he once held. Another chapter is about to begin in Texas.
Josh Hamilton has, as they say, been around the block a few times and he is no stranger to baseball. But for all of his travels in the game, it’s the Texas Rangers who can’t quite seem to cut the umbilical cord from this once great talent, a talent who has betrayed his body as much as his body has betrayed him. And now, it’s being reported that they’ll take another look at the man and his broken knees, with an eye toward extending a minor league contract if things go well.
Hamilton to Try Out Before Christmas
In May of next year, Josh Hamilton will be 36 and six years removed from his MVP season in 2010. He did not have an at bat all of last year, and he’s appeared in only 140 games in the last three years. He’s been living in the Houston area and, if we look only at the fact that his name has not appeared in the newspapers over that span, he’s kept himself clean and healthy.
According to the report, the Rangers will be the only team present for the workout, which is expected to take place “before Christmas.” If that’s true, it would seem odd that the Angels would not want to take at least a peek, since they are the team paying Hamilton during this period of inactivity that includes the nearly $23 million he received last year.
Josh Hamilton Saga: As Complex as Ever
It is no longer about money, as his contract is now completed. Exactly what it is about, though, remains as complex and mysterious a baseball story that we have seen in recent times. Perhaps the tryout is a tribute to the talent that everyone saw and can’t quite forget. Or maybe Josh Hamilton’s agent is doing the sales job of the century on the Rangers. Or maybe his knees are healed and he’ll take the baseball world by storm again. Wouldn’t that be something, huh?
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But more than likely, this is just another blip on the radar screen that has been tracking the drama surrounding the career and life of Josh Hamilton. It was all thought to be over when the Rangers gave him his unconditional release back in August. It was a blip on radar back then, too. And yet, Josh Hamilton is back with us for one more go at finding a baseball career, which depending on how you look at it, was either lost or temporarily misplaced. We’ll find out soon which one it is.