What if the Reds still had Josh Hamilton?
Can you imagine Joey Votto and Josh Hamilton on the same baseball team? As a baseball fan, especially as a Cincinnati Reds fan, it's fun to think about. But this thought was reality for a little while, as Votto and Hamilton were teammates for just a few months in 2007.
What if they were still teammates today though?
Back in 2007, a young Josh Hamilton was in a Reds uniform trying to get back into baseball after fighting with drug and alcohol addictions. Hamilton played fairly well in his first big league season, hitting .292, 19 HR, and 47 RBI in only 90 games. But then on December 21, 2007, the Reds traded him to the Texas Rangers for Edinson Volquez and Daniel Ray Herrera. The potential was through the roof for the former number one overall pick, but the Reds were desperate for starting pitching and Volquez was one of the best starting pitching prospects in the Rangers organization.
Granted, Volquez, for the most part, has been good player for the Reds and is a key to their success in the future. When Volquez throws strikes, he is almost unhitable and he has a chance to be the ace of the staff down the stretch. However, seeing the inability of anyone besides Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips to consistently do anything at the plate has been troubling so far this season. The Reds are in the top ten in Major League Baseball in almost every category offensively from runs, home runs, RBI, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. They are just so inconsistent, that it's hard to believe they are that good offensively.
With the injury to third baseman Scott Rolen, the Reds have no one to hit clean up behind reigning MVP Joey Votto. Votto continues to be walked and the amount of quality pitches he sees every game continues to shrink. Brandon Phillips has had success in the past hitting in the four hole, but he's not the ideal clean up man. Watching Jonny Gomes and Jay Bruce batting clean up at times is painful and right now they are not the answer. Queue Josh Hamilton.
The Reds need someone to protect Votto, just look at the some of the best sluggers in the game today, almost all of them have solid guys hitting behind them. The Yankees' Alex Rodriguez has Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira. Albert Pujols has Matt Holliday in St. Louis, Ryan Braun has Prince Fielder in Milwaukee, Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki has Carlos Gonzalez and the list goes on. And that's what makes me think about former Red Josh Hamilton.
As much as fans like Volquez and Bruce, I still wish that the Reds hadn't traded Hamilton back in 2007. The Reds needed a pitcher like Volquez at the time and one can only wonder if the Reds could have traded someone else to get him, like Jay Bruce.
Bruce, who is only 24 years old, is a good player, a great fielder and arguably has the most potential of anyone on the Reds roster. He will always be remembered for sending the Reds to the playoffs in 2010 on his walk-off home run, but if the Reds could have traded Bruce to the Rangers, if they were even interested in Bruce to begin with, instead of Hamilton, I would have been alright with that.
So many questions come to my mind when thinking about still having Josh Hamilton in a Cincinnati Reds uniform. Here are a few:
What gives a pitcher nightmares more, seeing Joey Votto at the plate or Josh Hamilton in the on deck circle? "Holy Crap!" Let's just say it's going to be no walk in the park for the guy on the mound, that's for sure.
What about Josh Hamilton's injury problems? Hamilton has missed time over his career, but injuries are just a part of the game. I do, however, have faith that Reds third base coach Mark Berry would never send Joey Votto, Josh Hamilton, or any player for that matter, home like on the play that Hamilton broke his arm on earlier this season.
Could the Reds afford Hamilton and Votto? Tough to say. Both would cost the Reds a lot of money, but with all the extra revenue these two stars would bring into the ballparks, might make it possible. Not only would these guys bring fans to the ballpark, but the Reds would a better team, resulting in more sellouts at Great American Ballpark and more nationally televised games. That means more money for the Reds and a higher payroll, which also helps them sign higher quality free agents.
Who would have won NL MVP last year, Votto or Hamilton? Votto hit .324, 37 HR with 113 RBI and was NL MVP in 2010. Josh Hamilton hit .359, 32 HR with 100 RBI and was named AL MVP. So, you be the judge.
Who would be considered the best player on the Reds ball club, Votto or Hamilton? Again, too close to call.
Can you imagine a Reds lineup that features Joey Votto and Josh Hamilton? "Holy Crap" Just thinking about it is exciting, but here's what it might look like. First, without Jay Bruce.
1. CF Drew Stubbs
2. 2B Brandon Phillips
3. 1B Joey Votto
4. RF Josh Hamilton
5. 3B Scott Rolen (when healthy)
6. LF Jonny Gomes/Chris Heisey
7. SS Paul Janish
8. C Ramon Hernandez/Ryan Hanigan
Now say the Reds were able to keep Bruce.
1. CF Stubbs
2. 2B Phillips
3. 1B Votto
4. LF Hamilton
5. 3B Rolen
6. RF Bruce
7. SS Janish
8. C Hernandez/Hanigan
Would the Reds have gone farther in the playoffs last year? They probably wouldn't have won the World Series, but you can bet that they would have won at least one game against the Phillies and Roy Halladay probably doesn't thrown a no-hitter.
Could the Reds win a World Series within the near future? No one can answer that for sure. The Giants won the World Series with pitching last year, so even with Votto and Hamilton the Reds aren't guaranteed a championship. There chances surely increase though.
Would it be nice to see Josh Hamilton in a Reds uniform again? Absolutely.
Will it ever happen again? Probably not, unless the Reds can sign Josh Hamilton as a free agent when his two year, $24 million contract expires after the 2012 season. Joey Votto's three year, $38 million contract expires after 2013, so the Reds would need to come up with a lot of money by then. If I win $500 million playing the lottery, I'll personally pay Josh Hamilton and Joey Votto to play for the Reds. That you can guarantee, right after I buy a Ferrari of course.
What if the Reds still had Josh Hamilton? Only the Man upstairs truly knows, but I think it's safe to say that the Reds would probably be a pretty good team and possibly a favorite to win the World Series this year, but we will never know.
As a Reds fan though, it sure is fun to think about.
What if they were still teammates today though?
Back in 2007, a young Josh Hamilton was in a Reds uniform trying to get back into baseball after fighting with drug and alcohol addictions. Hamilton played fairly well in his first big league season, hitting .292, 19 HR, and 47 RBI in only 90 games. But then on December 21, 2007, the Reds traded him to the Texas Rangers for Edinson Volquez and Daniel Ray Herrera. The potential was through the roof for the former number one overall pick, but the Reds were desperate for starting pitching and Volquez was one of the best starting pitching prospects in the Rangers organization.
Granted, Volquez, for the most part, has been good player for the Reds and is a key to their success in the future. When Volquez throws strikes, he is almost unhitable and he has a chance to be the ace of the staff down the stretch. However, seeing the inability of anyone besides Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips to consistently do anything at the plate has been troubling so far this season. The Reds are in the top ten in Major League Baseball in almost every category offensively from runs, home runs, RBI, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. They are just so inconsistent, that it's hard to believe they are that good offensively.
With the injury to third baseman Scott Rolen, the Reds have no one to hit clean up behind reigning MVP Joey Votto. Votto continues to be walked and the amount of quality pitches he sees every game continues to shrink. Brandon Phillips has had success in the past hitting in the four hole, but he's not the ideal clean up man. Watching Jonny Gomes and Jay Bruce batting clean up at times is painful and right now they are not the answer. Queue Josh Hamilton.
The Reds need someone to protect Votto, just look at the some of the best sluggers in the game today, almost all of them have solid guys hitting behind them. The Yankees' Alex Rodriguez has Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira. Albert Pujols has Matt Holliday in St. Louis, Ryan Braun has Prince Fielder in Milwaukee, Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki has Carlos Gonzalez and the list goes on. And that's what makes me think about former Red Josh Hamilton.
As much as fans like Volquez and Bruce, I still wish that the Reds hadn't traded Hamilton back in 2007. The Reds needed a pitcher like Volquez at the time and one can only wonder if the Reds could have traded someone else to get him, like Jay Bruce.
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| Josh Hamltion played very well for the Reds in 2007. (Getty Images) |
So many questions come to my mind when thinking about still having Josh Hamilton in a Cincinnati Reds uniform. Here are a few:
What gives a pitcher nightmares more, seeing Joey Votto at the plate or Josh Hamilton in the on deck circle? "Holy Crap!" Let's just say it's going to be no walk in the park for the guy on the mound, that's for sure.
What about Josh Hamilton's injury problems? Hamilton has missed time over his career, but injuries are just a part of the game. I do, however, have faith that Reds third base coach Mark Berry would never send Joey Votto, Josh Hamilton, or any player for that matter, home like on the play that Hamilton broke his arm on earlier this season.
Could the Reds afford Hamilton and Votto? Tough to say. Both would cost the Reds a lot of money, but with all the extra revenue these two stars would bring into the ballparks, might make it possible. Not only would these guys bring fans to the ballpark, but the Reds would a better team, resulting in more sellouts at Great American Ballpark and more nationally televised games. That means more money for the Reds and a higher payroll, which also helps them sign higher quality free agents.
Who would have won NL MVP last year, Votto or Hamilton? Votto hit .324, 37 HR with 113 RBI and was NL MVP in 2010. Josh Hamilton hit .359, 32 HR with 100 RBI and was named AL MVP. So, you be the judge.
Who would be considered the best player on the Reds ball club, Votto or Hamilton? Again, too close to call.
1. CF Drew Stubbs
2. 2B Brandon Phillips
3. 1B Joey Votto
4. RF Josh Hamilton
5. 3B Scott Rolen (when healthy)
6. LF Jonny Gomes/Chris Heisey
7. SS Paul Janish
8. C Ramon Hernandez/Ryan Hanigan
Now say the Reds were able to keep Bruce.
1. CF Stubbs
2. 2B Phillips
3. 1B Votto
4. LF Hamilton
5. 3B Rolen
6. RF Bruce
7. SS Janish
8. C Hernandez/Hanigan
Not only is that one scary lineup, but the best group of defenders in all of the majors. Rolen and Phillips have Gold Gloves, Votto, Hamilton, Bruce and Janish are Gold Glove caliber players. Stubbs, Hanigan and Ramon Hernandez are solid in the field too.
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| Votto and Hamilton could possibly be the best two hitters in the game today. (Getty Images File) |
What kind of numbers and awards would Votto and Hamilton put up together? Hamilton is a career .311 hitter, with 93 career HR and 337 RBI. Along with winning AL MVP last year, Hamilton was the 2010 ALCS MVP, he holds two Silver Sluggers, has been an All-Star in three straight seasons, was the AL batting champion in 2010, led the AL in RBI in 2008 and he is one of the best defensive outfielders in the business. Joey Votto is a career .317 hitter, with 95 career HR and 314 RBI. Last season Votto was NL MVP and he won the Hank Aaron Award for being the NL's best hitter. Votto was an All-Star in 2010, he will certainly go to many more, and his defense gets better everyday. So, with that being said, what kind of numbers would Votto and Hamilton put up? Safe to say, off the charts.
Would the Reds have gone farther in the playoffs last year? They probably wouldn't have won the World Series, but you can bet that they would have won at least one game against the Phillies and Roy Halladay probably doesn't thrown a no-hitter.
Could the Reds win a World Series within the near future? No one can answer that for sure. The Giants won the World Series with pitching last year, so even with Votto and Hamilton the Reds aren't guaranteed a championship. There chances surely increase though.
Would it be nice to see Josh Hamilton in a Reds uniform again? Absolutely.
Will it ever happen again? Probably not, unless the Reds can sign Josh Hamilton as a free agent when his two year, $24 million contract expires after the 2012 season. Joey Votto's three year, $38 million contract expires after 2013, so the Reds would need to come up with a lot of money by then. If I win $500 million playing the lottery, I'll personally pay Josh Hamilton and Joey Votto to play for the Reds. That you can guarantee, right after I buy a Ferrari of course.
What if the Reds still had Josh Hamilton? Only the Man upstairs truly knows, but I think it's safe to say that the Reds would probably be a pretty good team and possibly a favorite to win the World Series this year, but we will never know.
As a Reds fan though, it sure is fun to think about.
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