#9 – Josh Hamilton
Josh Hamilton is despised by fans for a lot of unrelated reasons. From on-field struggles to injuries to personal choices outside of baseball, Hamilton has dealt with a lot of criticism.
The five-time All-Star had a history of success – three Silver Slugger awards, a batting title, and an MVP award. But baseball is a game where past success means little, and fans are eager to hate players who make critical mistakes – and Hamilton made one of those in the 2012 play-in game against the Oakland Athletics:
The A’s went on to win the game, giving them the division title. Then, the Rangers lost the Wild Card game, as fans booed Hamilton in his last at-bat. He subsequently bashed the Rangers fans after signing an offseason deal with the Los Angeles Angels, angering people who had supported him during his time in Texas.
Hamilton did not live up to what Angels ownership expected in terms of performance, and never had a good relationship with their fans. His five-year, $125 million deal was a bust. In 2015, he admitted to MLB that he had relapsed in his battled with drug addition. Although he wasn’t suspended, the Angels’ front office used this convenient excuse to take a “moral stand” and try to back out of Hamilton’s contract. They removed his merchandise from team shops, emptied his locker, and looked at whether they were legally obligated to pay him the rest of his money.
It turned out that they were, but the Angels still didn’t want him. As a result, Hamilton was shipped back to the Rangers – where he’s been disliked for both his past comments, his injury issues, and his limited on-field performance.
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