Sample Player Profile Page

HAMILTON, JOSH


Nickname:	N/A	Position:	OF
Home:	Raleigh, North Carolina	Team:	RANGERS
Height:	6' 4"	Bats:	L
Weight:	230	Throws:	L
DOB:	5/21/1981	Agent:	Mike Moye
Birth City:	Raleigh, North Carolina	Draft:	Devil Rays #1 - 1999 - Out of Athens Drive H.S. (Raleigh)
Uniform #:	32		Devil Rays #1 - 1999 - Out of Athens Drive H.S. (Raleigh)

YR	LEA	TEAM	SAL(K)	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	OBP	SLG	AVG
1999	APP	PRINCETON		56	236	49	82	20	4	10	48	17		13	43			.347
1999	NYP	HUDSON VALLEY		16	72	7	14	3	0	0	7	1		1	14			.194
2000	SAL	CHARLESTON, SC		96	391	62	118	23	3	13	61	14		27	71			.301
2001	SL	ORLANDO		23	89	5	16	5	0	0	4	2		5	22			.180
2001	SAL	CHARLESTON, SC		4	11	3	4	1	0	1	2	0		2	3			.364
2002	CAL	BAKERSFIELD		56	211	23	64	14	1	9	44	10		20	46			.303
2003	-	Did Not Play
2004	-	did not play
2005	-	did not play
2006	New	HUDSON VALLEY		15	50	7	13	3	1	0	5	0	1	5	11		.360	.260
2007	NL	REDS	$380.00	90	298	52	87	17	2	19	47	3	3	33	65	.368	.554	.292
2007	IL	LOUISVILLE BATS		11	40	9	14	1	0	4	8	3	0	5	9		.675	.350
2008	AL	RANGERS	$397.00	156	624	98	190	35	5	32	130	9	1	64	126	.371	.530	.304
2009	AL	RANGERS	$555.00	89	336	43	90	19	2	10	54	8	3	24	79	.315	.426	.268
2009	TL	FRISCO		1	4	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	1	.400	.250	.250
2009	PCL	OKLAHOMA CITY		7	28	3	5	2	1	0	0	1	0	4	7	.281	.321	.179
2010	AL	RANGERS	$3,250.00	129	505	94	183	40	3	31	97	8	1	43	95	.415	.638	.362

PERSONAL:
When Hamilton was just 12 years old, he was the MVP of three games of a national tournament�as a lefthanded catcher. "I also played shortstop for five years in Little League," Josh said.	Josh wears size 18 shoes, about the size of an NBA center's. But Hamilton dropped basketball after his freshman high school season to concentrate on baseball

Playing in the minors, it was hard for him to find shoes that would fit. "The biggest baseball shoe most companies make is a 16," said Brian Peters, Hamilton's agent. "Nike has a mold for an 18, so they made some for him and he stretches them out."	He loves to play baseball. he and his friends played wekkend pickup games frequently, when he was in high school

Josh comes from a supportive family -- maybe too supportive. He is low-key, a yes-sir, no-sir guy who is quick to credit his parents, Tony and Linda, for his success. His teachers liked him, his friends and high school teammates like him. The Hamiltons live the way many American used to, and the way some Southerners still do. Josh's grandmother, Linda Hamilton's mother, Mary Holt, lives next door. The Hamilton house sits on what used to be the garden of the home where Linda grew up. Extended family is important. If a cousin has a birthday, everyone goes over to that house	Besides being a fine outfielder, Josh pitched in high school, throwing a 94-96 mph fastball from the left side!

He comes from a solid, blue collar background and is a tireless worker. And he is focused To get a real idea of Josh's character, it is necessary to talk to people who will brag about him -- because he won't and neither will his parents. That's the only way you'll find out about his friendship with the Athens Drive High batboy who has Down Syndrome	When Josh signed with the Devil Rays, his parents moved up to pro ball too, taking up residence wherever he went. All through amateur ball, his parents and grandmother went to virtually every game. Both parents had jobs in Raleigh -- Tony worked at a dealership for Ditch witch, a company that manufactures construction equipment. Linda was with the bridge-maintenance unit of the No. Carolina Department of Transportation. But with their other son grown and gone, they pulled up stakes and followed Josh's teams. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Mrs. Hamilton said. "As long as he's having fun, we're all right." Josh has breakfast with his parents before home games, then gets dropped off at the stadium in an SUV he bought for them. "Most kids don't want their parents around," Tony Hamilton said. "He wants us here."

Josh doesn't show off. He wears no thick gold necklaces or fancy jewelry. His watch was bought with graduation money. He bought himself a 30th edition Firebird Trans Am he had been dreaming of. But the car sits at home, because he doesn't need it	Hamilton was named Amateur Junior Player of the Year for 1999 by USA Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Assoc. He was presented with his Golden Diamond Award.

He makes a good impression with his fine work ethic and unassuming approach to the game and to life Josh is one of the easier autographs you will find. He signs cards sent in the mail and for almost any fan that wants it after a game. He explains: "Before my junior year in high school, Tony Gwynn came to a hitting camp at Elon College (in No. Carolina). He signed a shirt for me and said, 'Hey, how are you doing?' That really stuck with me."	For the 2000 season, Josh was named co-MVP of the South Atlantic Leauge (along with J.R. House of the Pirates organization) Hamilton always leads his league in "autographs-signed."

He spent six weeks at the IMG training facility in Bradenton, Fla. during the off-season before 2001 spring training. Nomar Garciaparra uses the same program, as do several other stars.	Josh and his parents escaped serious injury after a dump truck struck their vehicle early in 2001 spring training. The accident was near the family's home in Bradenton, Florida. The dump truck ran a red light and struck the Hamilton's vehicle, a Chevy Silverado. Josh only had sore knees and back, but no apparent real damage. His father suffered a minor skull fracture. And his mother was sore for a few days. Not many days after the accident, Josh's back began hurting.

During 2003 spring training, then-D'Rays Manager Lou Piniella was impressed with the way the ball jumps off Hamilton's bat. He was also impressed with Hamilton's 26 tattoos. "If he can hit me 40 home runs, I'll put 26 on me, too,'' Piniella said. "Albeit real small ones.'' DISAPPEARING ACT	Hamilton left the Devil Rays around March 22, 2003, shortly after he was cut from the Major League spring training roster and assigned to Orlando. On the day he was sent down, he seemed upbeat and spoke of putting up big numbers in the minor leagues to speed his progress through the system to the majors. But Josh had showed up late to several spring workouts and fell out of favor with Piniella. Hamilton blamed car trouble for making him late the first time.

On April 28, 2003, after the media hadn't heard from him for a month, the D'Rays issued a statement from Hamilton: "I needed to take some time away from the game to address some personal issues and problems I have been dealing with for the past several months. Fortunately, the Devil Rays allowed me the opportunity I needed in dealing with those issues, and I now have a better support system in place to move forward with my professional career. I'm excited to get back on the field and resume my career.'' He was assigned to the Orlando Rays (SL). Within a few days of his return, Josh spoke pubicly (March 3), saying it wasn't drug, alcohol, or legal problems that led him to leave the Devil Rays organization for six weeks, but depression caused by family problems and professional pressures. He said he spent most of the time around his North Carolina home, and that counseling helped him learn to deal with his problems. He said his problem built up because of a number of issues: a serious illness in the family that he did not want to discuss, pressure he put on himself to catch up with former minor league teammates who had made it to the majors (such as Carl Crawford and Rocco Baldelli), and continued problems learning to deal mentally with the setbacks caused by repeated injuries. "I'll put it this way to you," Hamilton said. "I got some help I needed because I was in a bad place, not with any kind of substances or anything like that, just as far as mentally, the mental part of the game. I went with my family and got some help, too, as far as understanding things and what's going on there." Hamilton said he is not on any medication and does not need to attend further counseling sessions, but "I've got the numbers of people I can call." Hamilton did not provide many other specifics, though he did say he is having two of his 26 tattoos removed and may do the same with the others on his forearms.	Josh's "comeback" lasted barely a week when he left again. The Devil Rays issued a statement on May 13, 2003, that Hamilton, "has requested and been granted a personal leave for the remainder of the season. The purpose of the leave is to provide Josh an opportunity to address certain private non-baseball matters."

During the winter before 2004 spring training, Hamilton lived with his parents in a spectacular estate - six bedrooms on 27 acres - on the outskirts of a Raleigh suburb. But, Josh said his parents,Tony and Linda, who have no other children living at home, are looking to downsize and didn't want to say any more about their situation. Josh bought the house in January 2001 for $950,000 and has listed it at $1.2-million.	Hamilton also has been dealing with the issue of a canceled wedding and questions of fatherhood. Hamilton said he had planned in December, 2003 to marry a North Carolina woman who told him she was pregnant with his baby, but he called off the wedding when she refused to sign a prenuptial agreement. Hamilton said he hasn't heard from the woman and may pursue DNA testing if necessary. "I haven't heard anything from her, so I don't know," he said late in January, 2004. He had been running and throwing, hitting at the local Grand Slam USA batting cages and working out regularly with his own Bowflex machine. (Marc Topkin, St. Petersburg Times-1/23/04)

Late one night in September 2003, for reasons he still doesn't understand, Hamilton found himself on the doorstep of Michael Dean Chadwick, a Raleigh homebuilder who frequently spoke to Christian groups about his successful battle against drug addiction. Chadwick also had a daughter, Katie, whom Josh had dated a few times a few years previously. "I took one look at him," Chadwick said (a few years later), and I knew exactly what I was looking at." Though it was the middle of the night, Chadwick took Hamilton out to his back porch, where they talked for hours. "I told him there is no middle ground. You either die, or you get well."	Josh got married in November 2004, to Michael Chadwick's daughter, Katie. At the time he was clean. "I thought (his drug problem) was over," Katie said. He became father to a 3-year-old stepdaughter. He moved away from his parents and found tremendous support and kinship in a father-in-law who also runs a ministry that counsels teens and athletes on the dangers of drug abuse. He attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and private counseling sessions on a regular basis. He also gives hitting lessons to little kids and speaks to youth groups. In February 2005, Josh told Baseball America reporter Marc Topkin that he had not used drugs or had alcohol since September 21, 2004. And that he understands the concept of taking things one day at a time. His father-in-law said Hamilton understands that his transgressions are his responsibility. "He has adapted to this whole concept of, 'I've got a problem, and I'm going to deal with it. I'm not going to hde from it and run from it,'" said Michael Dean Chadwick, president of nonprofit Mike Chadwick Ministries and owner of 1st American Land, a North Carolina real estate, building and development company. Josh took up golf to channel his competitiveness, but baseball remains his primary focus. And he works out feverishly in anticipation of getting back in the game. Josh knew Chadwick's daughter, Katie, from going to school together at Athens Drive High in Raleigh, NC, but Chadwick said he isn't sure exactly what led Hamliton to knock on his door late one night. "I don't know how he heard about me," Chadwick said. "He showed up at my house (around June 2004). It was late, I don't know, 11 p.m., midnight, 2 in the morning. I was in bed. I looked at his face and I saw a broken boy who was lost, lonely and desperate for someone who knew where he was. We sat out on my deck most of that night and talked about life and stuff, about, 'What do I ought to do?' I told him, 'It's not about Can you? It's about, Will you?' We've spent a lot of time together between then and today." Chadwick speaks to teams, students and business groups about the influence God has had in his life and delivers a strong antidrug message. (mostly: Marc Topkin-Baseball America-2/14/05) IN TROUBLE AGAIN

On May 21, 2005, Hamilton was arrested in North Carolina and charged with misdemeanor damage to property after tearing off a rearview mirror and using his fist to shatter the windshield of a friend's pickup truck.	Hamilton, who turned 24 on the day of his arrest, is on the restricted list, serving his second consecutive one-year suspension for violating baseball's substance abuse policy. He had hoped to gain early reinstatement at some point in 2005, but that seemed unlikely after he told Cary, N.C., police he had been drinking alcohol at a party before his arrest.

"He's sick about it,'' said Hamilton's father-in-law, Michael Dean Chadwick, when reached by phone at his home in Cary. "We're all sick about it.'' Cary police said Hamilton left the party with his wife, Katie, but she stopped the car and he began walking down U.S. 1. Hamilton told police he and Katie had argued at the party.	Police received a call at about 7:20 p.m. about a man, presumably Hamilton, who allegedly was harassing customers at a gas station, Cary Police Lt. Michael Williams said. Hamilton left the gas station as a passenger in a friend's Jeep. Police stopped the Jeep shortly afterward, Williams said.

Police contacted Chadwick, who came with a friend in a pickup truck to get Hamilton. On the way to a residence in Cary, Hamilton used his fist to shatter the windshield of the pickup truck, ripped off the rearview mirror and broke a baseball bat over his knee, authorities said. Hamilton was released on a promise to appear in court. (Carter Gaddis-Tampa Tribune-5/22/05)	Within six months of being married, Josh and Katie were separated. When Katie Hamilton brought their baby daughter Sierra home from the hospital in September, 2005, Josh was out getting high. "That was the worst of the worst," Katie said. "Bringing your baby home is supposed to be such a joyous time -- and it wasn't that way. Just to know he was out using drugs and missing those precious moments -- it was just so hard and so sad. I was devastated." One day, Hamilton wrote a check to a crack dealer for $2,000, when he knew he didn't have the funds in the bank to cover it. He begged Katie to put some money in their account, but she refused. When the check bounced and Jost started to feel the singular heat of a vengeful crack dealer, it was Mike Chadwick who asked Josh for the guy's name and phone number. "I called to tell the guy I was coming," Chadwick said. "He said, 'Are you going to be packing heat?' I said, 'Do I need to?' When I got there, I told him, 'Look, I understand, business is business. Here's your money. But if you ever sell Josh crack again, I'll be back here, and it won't be pretty. I'm not scared or intimidated by you or your pals. And I'm just a little bit crazy." (David Sheinin-Washington Post-March, 2007)

In November 2005, The St. Petersburg Times reported that Hamilton's suspension for multiple failures of baseball's drug policy had been extended through the 2006 season and that his reinstatement would be at the discretion of commissioner Bud Selig.	On the back of Hamilton's right leg, the last of his 26 tattoos has the face of Jesus Christ superimposed over an enormous cross. "I don't even know why I got that one," Josh said in 2007, a couple of years after addding it. "See, I didn't realize it at the time, but I think it was like spiritual warfare -- the devil/Christ. I have tattoos of demons with no eyes. And I didn't realize it at the time, but no eyes means, 'no soul.' That's what I was at the time time: a man with no soul." His first tattoo was tame enough: HAMMER, his nickname, on his right arm. But then came the blue flames on his forearms, tribal systems that Josh had no idea of the meaning, assorted demons, then the face of the devil himself. The tattoo parlor became a hangout, and Josh would spend 8 hours in the chair at a time, watching the needle squirt the ink under his skin. Afterward, they'd all go out, get drunk, then score some blow. "They weren't bad people," Josh said during the 2007 season. "They just did bad things." (Dave Sheinin-Washington Post-April, 2007)

Josh's wife Katie "wanted Josh out of their house. Not because she didn't love him, but because his lifestyle was affecting the marriage and his relationship with the kids. 'I was shocked,' Katie said. 'I just couldn't believe it, because I just couldn't imagine how you could be there for the birth of your child and your wife and then just not follow through. It just didn't make sense to me.'	She sought refuge at her parents' house because the one she and Josh owned made her feel unsettled and alone when she was in it. She also turned to her pastor and his wife for spiritual guidance. Katie prayed God might help her and halt the misery of seeing a husband 'completely throwing his life away.'

'Honestly, I didn't even care,' Josh said, 'because I was doing what I wanted to do - get high.' Faith transformed Katie and provided the grace necessary to call Josh one day and forgive him. 'It did so much for me,' she said. 'God took all those feelings of bitterness and resentment and anger away from me instantly.'" (Kevin Kelly, Cincinnatti Enquirer, 5/13/07)	February 2006: Hamilton was invited to Clearwater by Roy Silver, a former Rays and Cardinals minor-league coach and manager who had met Hamilton a few times. Silver is co-owner of the Winning Inning academy based at Jack Russell Stadium. Hamilton worked out, worked on his game and did chores around the baseball academy.

June 2006: Hamilton received permission to work out with the Rays' extended spring program. Hamilton called the opportunity his "last chance" when it comes to professional baseball. "That's the way I want it because that's what is going to give me that drive to do it," Hamilton said. "The past three years have been a real struggle, real frustrating."	Hamilton said the biggest challenge ahead is not on the ballfield, but the continuing battle with his addiction. "It's a constant struggle," he said. "Everybody has got their own demons. You've got to come to grips with it and know that's the thing that's keeping you from living a productive life." The turning point came about after he became a father.

"I got pretty bad for a while," Hamilton said. "I got to the point, I had my little girl, and the more time I spent with her, the light bulb just started going off. It's not about me anymore. It's about my family and doing the right thing no matter if baseball is involved or not. Actually, I never thought I would be back out here. It's exciting for me."	June 30, 2006: Major League Baseball cleared the Rays to allow Josh to play games for the rest of the season. He had been granted limited privileges starting June 2 that allowed him to begin working out at the Devil Rays' minor league complex with the extended spring training team. He didn't appear in any extended games, but did take part in simulated games. On suspension since February of 2002, Hamilton looks forward to restarting his baseball career. Josh will join the Class A Hudson Valley Renegades and could play as soon as July 4, 2006. After such a long time away from the game, Hamilton is ready and willing to go anywhere.

"I told them I'd go back to Little League if they'd let me play," Hamilton said. Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon believes that the second chance is warranted, and he expects Hamilton to do everything he can to make good on it. "From what I could perceive, my 'thin slicing' when I met him, is that this is a good guy, and he ran into some problems," Maddon said. "I really believe that all of us deserve a second chance in different situations. I really believe he's going to give a sincere effort to work his way through this. Hopefully, it's going to benefit him, and it's going to benefit us if it works out that way."	Hamilton was thankful for the support system the Reds gave him. And he liked being around manager Jerry Narron, because of the deep Christian faith they share, and the way they also believe in each other. There were specific rules to limit the temptations, such as Hamilton not carrying much cash, not having his own car in spring training and having his wife, Katie, taking around half the road trips.

"It's not that I need to be babysat, but it's just things I need put in place to make sure I can do it," Hamilton said. "To not be tempted. I trust myself, but at the same time I want that in place." He said he has been sober since October 6, 2005, and can maintain it no matter what situations he faces, such as teammates drinking in front of him. When listing his priorities, he says he now has dropped Recovery a slot to third, behind God and Family.	"I know there's temptations," he said. "The devil's going to come at me hard. I don't know from where yet. But we'll handle it when it comes." (Marc Topkin-St. Petersburg Times-2/20/07) People think Hamilton either gulped down his throat or snorted up his nose all of his $3.96 million bonus, but that is not so. "No, I didn't. I supported my parents for six years. When I was 12, I told my Mom and Dad if I made it in baseball. I'd pay off all their debts and buy them each a new car. I did that," Josh said.

During 2007 spring training, Josh was asked if he was nervous about getting this chance. "Scared?" Hamilton asked. "Nah. I'm at peace with my life right now and nothing frightens me. I tore my body down for three years, but I'm still able to play. That's not me. That's the Lord." Bradenton, Florida is where everything went "south" for Hamilton. "My first drink -- my first drink ever -- was at a strip club (in Bradenton), with the tattoo guys. Pretty soon, I started using. First the powder, then crack. I was 20. I wasn't playing. I was hurt. My parents left and went back home. I was by myself for the first time," Josh said. Before long, he was guzzling a 750-ml bottle of Crown Royal every day, and snorting a whole lot of cocaine. Contrary to popular opinion, Josh had a purpose -- -- -- to overdose and end the suffering. But for some reason, he couldn't kill his body. "There is no reason I shouldn't be dead or crippled," Hamilton said early in 2007. "The fact I still have all my brain function -- I did things to where I shouldn't be right today. It just lets me know there are bigger things out there for me to do."	In Clearwater, Florida, Jack Russell Stadium, the former spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies is now the site of a Christian baseball academy called "Winning Inning." It is the kind of place where instructors hit fungoes in the morning and provide spiritual counseling in the afternoon, the kind of place where "J. Christ" has his own locker. Reds Manager Jerry Narron in June of 2007: "I think we may take it for granted with what he's done. We shouldn't," Narron said. "We don't realize what he's been able to do after all of that time off. We've come to maybe where we expect more than we should sometimes. We expect this guy to come in and perform like a 10-year veteran, but he's not. It's pretty amazing."

2008: Three times a week, Hamilton's past and future intersect when he urinates into a cup and waits for confirmation that tells the baseball world what he has known for 27 months: He is clean, sober and drug-free. "I think he looks forward to the tests," Johnny Narron, his friend and mentor, says. "He knows he's an addict. He knows he has to be accountable. He looks at those tests as a way to reassure people around him who had faith."	The Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant asked Josh about his TV watching during 2008 spring training. Hamilton: I like Smallville. I like to think about what Superman was like as a teenager. Grant: Can you identify with any of his problems? Not really. Except for Kryptonite. I know something about that. Have you been keeping up with it out here?

I can't tell what time anything is on out here (in Arizona). Seems to be kind of a weird schedule. *Yeah, one year we waited through three different time zones for Monk* and still never saw it. Then we figured out we were watching on the wrong day. Anyhoo, how much TV do you watch?** I usually watch about an hour a day. I also like Dancing With the Stars, 24 and House. Dancing With the Stars? Yeah. I like watching that kind of dancing, and the progression of those people as they go through the show is pretty awesome.	Want to be on it? No. Don't get me wrong, I can dance. I'd just rather watch it than do it. And the show has the worst looking trophy in the world. I'd rather not win it just so I don't have to take home that trophy. You a cartoon guy as a kid? Yep. Scooby-Doo. Who was your favorite character? Scooby and Shaggy, c'mon. But what about Daphne? Why, because she was hot? Well, you said that. And what was up with Allan with the ascot? Allan? Who was Allan? There was no Allan. C'mon man, you mean Fred. I can't believe you called him "Allan."

*Well, he looks like an "Allan." Hey, enough about that. You watch any other reality shows besides Dancing? What about ESPN stuff?* My wife is into the reality stuff, and I almost got hooked because I had to watch stuff like The Hills, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette with her. But no, I don't watch any of that stuff. And besides NFL Preview on Sunday, I really don't watch anything on ESPN besides games. I'm more of a Discovery, FX and USA fan. And I'll watch movies. I still can't believe you called the guy "Allan."	Every time you cheer a Hamilton bomb or gasp at a running catch he makes in center field, make sure you give credit to Katie Hamilton, the woman who refused to quit on Josh. Her strength and fervent prayers inspired him to wage a battle against his addiction. "I'd get really tired of praying for him, but the Lord was really faithful in renewing my strength," Katie said. "I'd go to bed, I'd swear that was the last time I was going to pray for him. I'm moving on and the next day I'd wake up with a new desire and strength to pray for him. "The toughest part is being so frustrated and wanting so badly for them (an addict) to have a productive and wonderful life and them not having the same desire for themselves."

Listen to Hamilton long enough and you get the feeling his roughest days are behind him, because he seems so at ease talking about his addiction. He's an addict. Always will be. That's how the disease works. But he doesn't run from it. He embraces it. He talks about it. Laughs about it. Hamilton gives his addiction no power because he doesn't shirk it. He confronts it because it no longer controls his life. And when Katie talks about the hurt it caused in their life, he stares deep into her eyes in a way that lets you know he truly understands the pain he caused. And when he's talking about the times he used or damage he caused in their relationship, she looks at him with a love that says she understands how Satan had control of his life.	"I kept having flashbacks of things I put her through and how she handled them," Hamilton said. "That was God's way of telling me he could help get through it." (Dallas Morning News-6/02/08) Interesting sidelight: Every plane flight, Hamilton had two peanut butter sandwiches and a bag of M&M's waiting at his seat. This was during the 2008 season. HOMERUN DERBY Josh Hamilton took two things with him to July 2008 State Farm Home Run Derby. His own pitcher, Clay Council, a 71-year-old volunteer high school coach who tutored Hamilton's brother, Jason, in American Legion ball in North Carolina. And an attitude that participating in the Home Run Derby can't do anything to mess up this season's hottest swing.

The 27-year-old is excited about the Derby and starting in center for the American League squad, but was more interested in talking about Council, who has thrown batting practice to him since Hamilton was in high school at Athens Drive High in Raleigh, N.C. Hamilton said Council, who coached at a rival high school, has been throwing batting practice to local kids for more than 30 years. "He's money," Hamilton said. "I hold the bat out and he'll hit it." Hamilton said he called up Council two weeks ago and asked him how he would feel about pitching to him with 50,000 fans at Yankee Stadium in the final All-Star Game at "The House that Babe built."	"He said, 'That would be great,'" Hamilton said. During the 2008 Home Run Derby at the last All Star Game at Yankee Stadium, Josh hit a record-setting 28 home runs in the first round of the competition. After that, he ran out of gas and got beaten by Minnesota's Justin Morneau in the finals. On August 14, 2008, Josh's wife gave birth to their second child, a daughter, Michaela Grace. February 2009: Hamilton reported to spring training having ridded himself of another vice: smokeless tobacco. He had quit on Christmas Day 2008. "You know it's bad when your 3-year-old holds up a water bottle, and asks if daddy spit in this before she drinks out of it," said Hamilton, referring to his daughter Sierra. "That's when you know it's a problem." TRANSACTION REPORT

June 1999: Hamilton was the #1 overall pick of the entire draft. Two days later, he signed with the Devil Rays for a bonus of $3.95 million February 17, 2004: Major League Baseball announced it had fined and suspended Hamilton until March 19 for violating the league's drug treatment and prevention program. The drug problems might have started when he had to take a lot of pain-killers for his back, and other injuries. December 7, 2006: The Reds acquired Hamilton from the Cubs, for cash, right after the Cubs had chosen Josh in the Rule 5 Draft out of the D'Rays organization. December 21, 2007: The Rangers sent pitchers Edinson Volquez and Danny Herrera to the Reds, acquiring Hamilton.	January 19, 2010: Josh and the Rangers avoided salary arbitration, agreeing on a $3.25 million contract for 2010.

BATTING:
A 5-tool player, Josh hits for both good average and with excellent power. That power projects as an 80 on the scouting scale of 20�80! That means he should hit 40 home runs in the Majors. He hits tape-measure home runs. He needs to stay back on pitches in order for him to maximize his power. He resembles Paul O'Neill in size. Hamilton has a mature hitting approach, recognizes pitches well but rarely walks. So he needs to improve his strike-zone judgment, and he is. Changeups from lefthanded pitchers can give him trouble. Josh has a sweet, tension-free lefthanded swing that drives the ball all over the yard. He gets superb lift and extension In 2009, Hamilton and the Rangers worked on alterations to his lefthanded stroke, the goal being to smooth out a swing that had too many moving parts. Gone is the tap step. The swing itself is more compact and quicker through the strike zone.	On May 15, 2009, Josh hit the 3rd-longest home run in the history of Rangers Ballpark: 460 feet. Jose Canseco hit one 480 feet in 1994 and Tampa Bay�s Paul Sorrento hit one 491 feet in 1999. BREAKDOWN VS. LEFTIES AND RIGHTIES In 2007, this lefty batter hit only .222 with one home run in 72 at-bats against lefthanded pitchers. But he nailed righthanders for a .314 average with 18 home runs in 226 at-bats. In 2008, Hamilton hit .288 with 8 home runs in 205 at-bats vs. lefthanders. And .313 with 24 home runs in 419 at-bats against righthanded pitching. In 2009, Josh hammered lefthanded pitching for an average of .327 with 6 homers in just 110 at-bats. He hit just .239 with 4 homers in 226 at-bats vs. righthanders.

As of the start of the 2010 season, Hamilton had a career big league batting average of .292 with 61 home runs and 231 RBI in 1,258 at-bats.

FIELDING:
Josh is a premium defensive center fielder or right fielder. His arm is strong and accurate. In fact, that tremendous arm rates an "8" on the scouting scale of 2-to-8! He has been clocked at 94 mph with the radar gun. His range is terrific. He can make that over-the-head-with-his-back-to-the-plate catch like Willie Mays. Hamiltons knowledge of how to play the game is one of his best traits.

RUNNING:
Hamilton runs the 60 in 6.7 seconds. He has excellent instincts when running the bases. But he his a big guy with big, heavy leg muscles.

CAREER INJURY REPORT:
Josh broke his thumb before his senior season of high school. June 1999: Upon arriving in Princeton, West Virginia to start his pro career, Hamilton had to be hospitalized with a stomach ailment. August 7, 2000: Hamilton had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. He originally injured it during a misstep in pursuit of a fly ball. 2001: Josh didn't go on the D.L., but he was bothered by a strained muscle in his back, and the flu, early in the season. July 2001: He went back on the D.L. with a left quadriceps. October 2001: Hamilton was pulled out of the Arizona Fall League with a back injury. Back specialist Volker Sonntag recommended a steroid injection, rest and rehabilitation to alleviate the lower back pain. The source of the pain was enflamed nerve endings near the left hip & lower spine.	2002: Josh spent the first week of the season on the shelf with back pain, the played 8 gtames, hitting .310 before he went back on the D.L. as a precaution when the back pain flared up. July 10, 2002: Hamilton suffered a subluxation (a dislocation that pops back into place on its own) to his left shoulder. On July 18, 2002, Dr. James Andrews performed exploratory arthroscopic surgery on Josh's left shoulder. He cleaned up fraying in the labrum and removed a bone spur from his left elbow. There was no significant damage in the shoulder. July 29, 2006: Josh was put on the D.L. with an injured knee. August 11, 2006: Hamilton had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. Deemed a success, Josh will rehab at the D-Ray's Minor League facilty in St. Petersburg, Florida.

May 19-June 5, 2007: Hamilton was rushed to a hospital by ambulance at 5:45 a.m. with gastroenteritis, an inflammation or infection of the gastrointestinal tract. He went on the D.L. for a couple of weeks. July 8-August 12, 2007: Josh injured his wrist while swinging in the on-deck circle in the first inning, going on the D.L. "I've been having a little pain [in the wrist] the last week," Hamilton said. "On deck before the first at-bat, I was just taking some dry swings and it popped." Hamilton said he felt sharp pain immediately. "It's just like a rush of fire going up my pinky," he said. "It went numb, went up into my forearm. I went to the first at-bat, and it just got worse and worse. I tried to swing in my second at-bat and I couldn't swing."	September 12, 2007: An MRI showed a strained right hamstring. June 24, 2008: Josh was sidelined for a few games after diving for a ball in center field and having to leave the game with inflammation in his left knee. March 1, 2009: Hamilton had to leave an exhibition game with a strained left Achilles tendon. He felt the tendon grab after getting a lead off third base. April 26-May 12, 2009: Josh suffered a strained intercostal muscle in his left rib cage and went on the D.L. The pain was localized in his back. June 1-July 7, 2009: Hamilton was on the D.L. with an abdominal strain�an injury a lot like a sports hernia. Two weeks of rest and anti-inflammatories were prescribed for Josh. But then, on June 9, Hamilton underwent surgery by Dr. William Meyer to repair a partially torn abdominal wall muscle that sidelined him over a month.

September 3, 2009: Josh took himself out of a game. He was diagnosed with a pinched nerve in his back. He received a root nerve injection to reduce the inflammation. February 23, 2010: Hamilton suffered a bruised left shoulder and neck after he lost his balance and fell while stretching for a popup during drills. August 1, 2010: Josh received a cortisone shot for patella tendinitis in his right knee. He only missed three games.