You think you had a rough Tuesday? Here's Josh Hamilton's Tuesday:
Josh Hamilton’s tough Tuesday night
USA TODAY Sports
1st Inning: Grounded into Double Play
3rd Inning: Grounded into Double Play
5th Inning: Grounded into Double Play
7th Inning: Strikeout
9th Inning: Strikeout
Hamilton's Angels lost to the Mariners in 10 innings, which dropped the Angels behind the Mariners in the American League West standings. When you're making a list of scapegoats for the Angels' 31-40 record, you should probably start with either Josh Hamilton or the genius who thought signing Josh Hamilton was a fine idea.
Over the last calendar year, Hamilton's posted a .302 on-base percentage. He's been a good baserunner, a league-average hitter, and a poor fielder. Major leaguers of similar value include Ryan Doumit, Garrett Jones, Cody Ross, and Alejandro De Aza.
Was Josh Hamilton’s Tuesday night the worst game ever? Probably not. I always think about Ron Wright, who, after years of kicking around in the minors, finally got his chance in the majors. In his debut, Wright struck out in the second inning, hit into a triple play in the fourth, grounded into a double play in the sixth ... and was bumped for a pinch-hitter in the seventh.
And that’s the last anyone has seen of Ron Wright.
The good news for Josh Hamilton is that, unlike Ron Wright, he’ll have hundreds and hundreds of chances to make us forget his Tuesday night. The bad news for the Angels is that Josh Hamilton will have hundreds and hundreds -- actually, I suppose it’s thousands and thousands -- of chances to make us forget his Tuesday night. While they’re paying him millions and millions, and more millions.
Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the rest of us. I’ve never rooted against Josh Hamilton and probably never will. But generally speaking, the game’s a lot more interesting when franchises can’t simply buy pennants. So there’s a little part of me that does root against clubs that dole out huge contracts each winter. And considering what happened last winter, this has been a delightful spring all over North America.
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