The Texas Rangers have announced that Josh Hamilton will be the next former player to be inducted into their franchise Hall of Fame.

It was a long road for Hamilton, a former number one Draft Pick whose career was derailed by a severe drug addiction and after leaving baseball for three years he made a comeback in 2005 he would make his MLB debut in 2007 with the Cincinnati Reds at age 26 and after a good rookie campaign he was traded to the Texas Rangers where he would spend the next five seasons, all of which would see him earn All-Star honors.  Hamilton was a vital component of Texas’ back-to-back American League Pennants in 2010 and 2011, and in the former year he would win the MVP while also winning the Batting Title.  Hamilton would sign with Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2013 but returned for one more season in Texas for 2015, which would be his final year in the Majors.

Hamilton’s overall numbers with the Rangers would see him collect 814 Hits with 150 Home Runs, 531 Runs Batted In and a .302 Batting Average

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Josh Hamilton for earning this honor.

The revival of Josh Hamilton’s baseball career stands as one of the most remarkable and cinematic human-interest narratives in the annals of contemporary sports. Selected first overall in the 1999 draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as a renowned five-tool talent, his career was notably disrupted by severe substance abuse issues, resulting in over three years of absence from the sport. Following a brief period of redemption through a Rule 5 draft appearance with Cincinnati in 2007, he was subsequently acquired by the Texas Rangers during a December transaction. Upon entering the intense summer heat of Arlington, his innate baseball brilliance was fully realized, establishing him as a pivotal middle-of-the-order superstar and fundamentally transforming the organization into a formidable powerhouse.

Hamilton’s time with the Rangers was marked by an extraordinary level of offensive power. During his breakout in 2008, he quickly gained the admiration of fans by leading the American League with 130 RBIs and impressing the nation with a remarkable, 28-home-run performance at the Yankee Stadium Home Run Derby. Each time he made contact, the ball produced a unique, powerful sound that few could mimic, earning him three Silver Slugger Awards in his first five seasons with Texas.

His unequivocal professional masterpiece emerged during the remarkable 2010 campaign. Operating with an exceptionally aggressive approach, Hamilton completely dominated Major League Baseball's pitching staffs, securing the American League batting title with a record-setting .359 average and leading all of baseball with an astounding .633 slugging percentage. He combined this remarkable efficiency at the micro level with 32 home runs and 100 RBIs, thereby earning the 2010 American League Most Valuable Player Award despite missing the majority of September due to a fractured rib. Hamilton transferred that excellence from the regular season directly into October, hitting four home runs with seven RBIs against the New York Yankees to be named the 2010 ALCS Most Valuable Player and guiding the Rangers to their inaugural pennant in franchise history.

Hamilton demonstrated remarkable consistency in maintaining elite performance over the subsequent two summers, contributing significantly to the Rangers securing their second consecutive American League pennant in 2011. In 2012, he achieved a career-high of 43 home runs and 128 RBIs. Notably, during that year, he exhibited one of the most explosive single-game performances in baseball history: on a May night in Baltimore, he hit four two-run home runs within a single game, establishing an American League record with 18 total bases. After a highly turbulent two-year period as a free agent with division-rival Los Angeles Angels, Hamilton returned to Texas for a final, emotionally significant 50-game tenure in 2015. Nevertheless, persistent knee injuries ultimately compelled him to retire from the sport.

Hamilton compiled 744 hits, 150 home runs, and a spectacular .302/.359/.542 slash line over 647 games. Texas inducted Hamilton into their franchise Hall of Fame in 2019.