Josh Hamilton | |||
---|---|---|---|
Hamilton with the Rangers in 2012
|
|||
Texas Rangers – No. 32 | |||
Outfielder / Designated hitter | |||
Born: Raleigh, North Carolina |
May 21, 1981 |||
|
|||
MLB debut | |||
April 2, 2007, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
MLB statistics (through 2015) |
|||
Batting average | .290 | ||
Hits | 1,134 | ||
Home runs | 200 | ||
Runs batted in | 701 | ||
Teams | |||
Career highlights and awards | |||
|
Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Texas Rangers organization. He stands 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and weighs 240 pounds (110 kg). He previously played for the Cincinnati Reds (2007) and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2013–2014). Hamilton is a five-time MLB All-Star and won the American League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2010.
He was the first overall pick in the 1999 MLB draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He was considered a blue chip prospect until injuries and a drug addiction derailed his career, beginning in 2001. Prior to the 2007 season, Hamilton was selected by the Chicago Cubs (picking for the Reds) in the Rule 5 draft. During the off-season he was traded to the Rangers.
During the 2008 season, Hamilton was named to the AL All-Star team. He also participated in the Home Run Derby, where he hit a record 28 home runs in the opening round and finished with 35 home runs, which was second-most all-time in derby history. He made the All-Star team the next four seasons as well. In 2012, Hamilton received more votes than any other player on the All-Star Game ballot, besting by approximately 3.5 million votes the vote count set in 2011 by José Bautista. Hamilton won the AL batting title in 2010. On October 22, 2010, Hamilton was selected as MVP of the 2010 ALCS. On November 23, 2010, Hamilton was named the 2010 AL MVP, earning 22 of 28 first-place votes. On May 8, 2012, Hamilton became the 16th player in MLB history to hit four home runs in a game. All 4 home runs were 2-run home runs, and he set an AL record for total bases in a game with 18.