Tuesday's announcement that Josh Hamilton is shut down for the season ends an injury-riddled and disappointing 2009 campaign for the slugger. It was not the encore he planned after gaining national attention with an impressive 2008 season that included bashing balls all over Yankee Stadium in the 2008 Home Run Derby as part of the All-Star festivities.
Before the season ever began, Hamilton was in Arizona working with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo on revamping his swing to make it more consistent. He hit well in spring training, only to start the season in a slump. He hit .242 in April,.237 in May and eventually abandoned his new swing for his old one in an effort to hit better. Then injuries halted his progress, and Hamilton really never got going.
He played in just 89 games and hit .268 with 10 homers and 54 RBIs. To put that in perspective, Hamilton had 54 RBIs on May 27 last year.
So which Hamilton do you expect to see in 2010? Will it be the one that wowed the country in 2008 or the one that couldn't stay healthy and struggled to find his rhythm at the plate in 2009?
My bet is that it's somewhere in between. My bet is he'll hit around .275 with 25 homers and 80 RBIs. I say that because I feel like Hamilton is a better player than he showed in 2009, but that 2008 was a career year for him. What do you think?