The Rangers have the sixth MVP Award winner in franchise history, Mr. Josh Hamilton. Even though he missed almost the entire month of September because of fractured ribs, Hamilton solidified his impact on this team and this league with a .359 BA (.384 after the All-Star break) 32 HR and 100 RBI.
Through a technicality, there are other candidates for this award but only 6 of 28 writers thought any of them were deserving of this award. Those 6 writers, to be blunt, are wrong. No one in the league meant more to his team than Josh Hamilton. He helped lead the Rangers to their first Division title in 11 years and with his timely hitting in the playoffs he helped the Rangers win their first (of many?) AL Pennants.
There have never been any questions about his abilities on a baseball field, especially after he burst onto the national scene in Yankee Stadium during the 2008 Home Run Derby, but when he led the majors in RBI that year with 130, people finally learned what we Ranger fans had known, this guy is a freak of nature.
2009 was a different story for the MVP. He missed 89 games dues to injury and hit only 10 homers with 54 RBI. Which was the real Hambone, the power hitting lefty we saw the pervious year or the oft injured #1 overall draft pick?
Though he had some injuries this year, we saw him once again as the power hitting lefty we had grown to expect and admire. Some even consider this man to be the best baseball player in the world. You know what? I can't blame them. There is no weakness to his game. Name one, I dare you... you can't can you? He has it all: power, average, speed, fielding, and base running (not the same as speed), and astonishingly he is well above average in every one of those categories. He single handedly won games for the Rangers this season with each of those tools and I guarantee you this, a Rangers team without Josh Hamilton doesn't even sniff the World Series.
This man has been through hell and back. He was the #1 overall pick in the 1999 draft by the then Tampa Bay Devil Rays, got injured, became addicted to alcohol and drugs, lost 3 years of his career and life, made a comeback, captivated us in Yankee Stadium, relapsed, and just had the best overall season for a hitter since Lou Gehrig in 1934. Josh is not only the most deserving player of this award, he is also the most deserving person. He has made the most of his second chance and I couldn't be happier for him.
This was without a doubt the greatest season in Texas Ranger baseball history and with players winning awards for their contributions on the field, it just keeps getting better. Now there's just one last piece of hardware we need to grab!
Here's to many more seasons of October baseball in Arlington.
I've gotten a big kick out of reading some of the Yankee fan's comments. Seriously, many if them feel that Cano deserved the award. Riiiight.
ReplyDeleteBut I do find it interesting that each season the Rangers have gone to the playoffs, they were led by a player who won that year's MVP.
If he stays healthy, in terms of physical injury, there is every reason to believe he will continue as a 300+ hitter, 100+ RBI contributor for the next few years. It will be very interesting to see what the next contract with the Rangers looks like - however, other teams may find the risk to great to sign him to big money. It seems clear that Josh has found a home in Texas and that is good news for the Ranger fans.
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