Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton is back.
He’s back from injury. He’s back in Texas. And fantasy baseball owners are wondering if he’s back to his old form.
So far in four games this season, he’s been rusty to say the least. He has two hits in 14 at-bats in those games after resting the first part of the season with a shoulder injury. He also has one run and no other notation in any other statistical category.
Four games is hardly enough of a sample size to make a final judgment. From the looks of the waiver wire activity, it appears that Hamilton is being picked up, but he’s likely still available in several leagues.
Fantasy owners picking up Hamilton are hoping for the good one that appeared from 2008 to 2012. During that stretch, he made five All-Star games and hit more than 100 RBIs in three seasons (one of those seasons was cut short because of injury, a common theme in Hamilton’s career). His numbers ranked toward the top in almost every statistical category making him a must-have in fantasy baseball.
Then he went to the Los Angeles Angels in 2013. Since that time, he hasn’t been able to avoid the injury bug and registered 113 RBIs combined in two seasons. In 2008 and 2012, he had 130 and 128 RBIs respectively.
His power numbers are down. His batting average is down. And his personal life has gotten him the headlines again this past season.
Many fantasy baseball owners are likely hoping that a change of venue back to Texas will be a renewed spark in Hamilton’s career. He’s easy to root for, and many in the baseball community are likely hoping for good things by Hamilton.
On the baseball field, though, don’t be fooled by those five seasons in the 2000s. There are other outfielder options with a better track record recently that are still available on the waiver wire.
Fantasy baseball owners are hoping for the Hamilton of old. What they’re likely to get is just a bunch of hope and little production.
