Josh is a true CF and has had a great rookie season! Let's give some credit where credit is due. The Reds do have a line of OF's stacking up. Josh was a great pitcher in high school. With the Reds needing to strengthen their pitching ranks, maybe they should work with Josh in the offseason.....but can't afford to lose the bat!
Interesting perspective about transformation back to pitching. Josh was a very good pitcher in high school, but the D'Rays wanted the bat. He's had a great first full season and is to be congratulated. Good move from a rule 5 perspective. There's always the possibility of a trade, now that he has proven his worth.
He will have a very good year at the end of the year. Let's hope the Reds will allow him to get some starts against LHP next year. I would not imagine the Reds to trade him any time soon. Both Griffey and Dunn will not have a contract after 2008, and the Reds will need him starting in the outfield.
4 for 5 tonight with 3 runs, 2 rbi, and he hit his 19th hr. He is now hitting .321 vs. rhp. It may very well be that before long it may not matter if he can hit LHP, if he continues to kill RHP like he has.
Here's my whole take on JH not being able to hit lefties...
While his line of .209/.289/.284/.573 vs. LHP is pretty terrible, one has to remember that this is only in 67 ABs. And in those 67 ABs there have been a bunch that were against LOOGYs - tough lefties whose sole purpose on their club is to get out left handed hitters. When you're facing those guys (Brian Shouse immediately comes to mind) a good amount of ABs vs. LHP, of course your stats are going to say you can't hit lefties. IMHO, if Hamilton was allowed to start vs. LHP (who are almost always easier on lefties than LOOGYs), Hobbs would not only gain valuable experience, but you'd see his overall numbers vs. LHP improve drastically as well.
Josh did say last night his legs were hurting a little bit. Could be a reason for not playing tonight.
How can anyone with any kind of eye doubt that Josh Hamilton will not only be a Reds outfielder for the next 15 years but a star?
I don't have any doubt that Josh Hamilton will be very good for a long time. However, in 15 years he will be 41 years old, and secondly, free agency has made it very difficult for small market teams to keep their players for that long.
I created the thread, so I will answer it. He will be a Reds outfielder; the question was would he be a starting outfielder. It seems obvious that he will be a starting outfielder in the Reds near future. Griffey and Dunn are not expected to have a contract past 2008. One of them may be re-signed, and Bruce will take one of the starting outfield spots. At the time I created the thread, Hamilton was not exactly setting the world on fire. It was a legitimate question at the time; now I concede we will see Hamilton starting for the Reds for a significant number of years. It is premature at this point to suggest Hamilton will be a star in the future, but it is certainly within his potential to achieve that status.. I do believe he will a good starting outfielder for a number of years.
I think that Josh will make himself pretty affordable to the Reds. I believe that he knows that the Reds saved him. If they didn't pick him up people wouldn't be talking about him. He would be rotting in A ball with the D-Rays. I'm not saying he will be a minimum salary player, I just don't think he will overprice himself so the Reds can't hold on to him.
-LTlabnerIf you can't build a winning team with that core a fire-sale isn't the solution. Selling the franchise, moving them to Nashville and converting GABP into a used car lot is.
CINCINNATI -- Rookie outfielder Josh Hamilton has been kept out of the starting lineup the past two games.
Reds interim manager Pete Mackanin said he's being cautious with Hamilton, who's been experiencing tightness in his right hamstring.
Hamilton believes Mackanin has other motives, although he did not offer any specific theories.
"[The hamstring] isn't why I'm not playing," Hamilton said. "It isn't going to feel any different. The tightness is always there. I've had it since Chicago [three weeks ago]."
It sounds like there is some dispute between Hamilton and Mackanin about why Hamilton is being kept out of the lineup.
They're showcasing Ellison and Coats for a trade. (sarcasm)
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