Josh Hamilton: Center Fielder
Josh Hamilton has always been a center fielder for the Texas Rangers, he just hasn’t always been the center fielder for the Texas Rangers. Not since 2008 did Hamilton lead the Rangers in games played at center field. Since that time, he has shared duties, mostly in the minority role, with the likes of Endy Chavez, Julio Borbon, and Marlon Byrd. Even in this year’s Spring Training, ample opportunity was provided by the Rangers to Borbon, Craig Gentry, and Leonys Martin to claim the center field spot through their performance. Gentry and Borbon have disappointed, while Martin just isn’t ready (though he is expected to be an option for a mid-season call up from AAA). Some rumors have floated through Twitter and the blogosphere about the Rangers seeking a center fielder in a trade this offseason, but nothing came to fruition. Now, it appears that the center field position will once again be solely Hamilton’s in the 2012 season.
Josh Hamilton may not be the Rangers best defensive center fielder (though Ron Washington says that he is). However, with Hamilton in center field it does give the Rangers the opportunity to field the best possible lineup overall. Hamilton is still an above-average defender, but more importantly his impressive ability to hit becomes even more valuable when playing center field, as opposed to either corner outfield position. An above average defensive center fielder with Hamilton’s ability to hit the ball is rare, and allows the Rangers to play a stronger bat in left field. In the Rangers case, this is likely to mean more playing time for David Murphy if no roster changes are made. The Rangers are rumored to be looking for a right-handed hitting corner outfielder as well, presumably to platoon with Murphy while keeping Hamilton in center field. Clearly, Murphy’s career .835 OPS against right-handed pitchers would be an asset, while his .647 OPS against left-handed pitchers would be a liability. If a right-handed hitter with the reverse of those splits could be acquired, the LF platoon would be a quite productive one for the Rangers.
So why is it that Hamilton has not been the Rangers center fielder of the past 5 years? The Rangers have not kept it a secret that they have concerns about Hamilton’s health as an everyday center-fielder, as he has a history of injuries, and the strain of playing 140 – 150 games in center field only exacerbates the problem. Now, the question is, why has that concern gone away? I can assure you it is not because Hamilton is miraculously less likely to be injured. Instead, the more likely cause for the position dedication to Hamilton is twofold: (1) Hamilton has proven he can get injured anywhere on a baseball field for any number of reasons, and (2) there is a fair chance that Hamilton is not a Texas Ranger after the 2012 season, so the need to protect him as a long-term investment for the Rangers is diminished. In Friday’s Spring Training game, Hamilton played center field and suffered a groin injury, not a great sign of what could be to come the rest of the season.
From a performance perspective, Hamilton’s career statistics would indicate that his offensive production is impacted by his defensive positioning. For his career, Hamilton has a .909 OPS, which is excellent. When breaking that down by position, however, there may be a story to be told. When playing LF, Hamilton’s career OPS is 1.013. When playing RF, the OPS falls slightly to .965. And when playing CF, his OPS falls below his career average to .845. There may be a sample size problem with this data, though Hamilton has 1,247 plate appearances in CF, and a combined 1,057 plate appearances at the corner outfield positions, so at least the size of the data is somewhat equivalent.
For Hamilton, in the final year before he enters free agency, playing center field for a full season represents a huge opportunity for him in regards to what kind of contract he will be able to demand this offseason. If he is able to stay healthy (and that is a big if considering he has missed 38 games per season on average in his time with the Rangers), and is able to produce at offensive levels close to his career averages while playing solid defense in center field, his value will climb even higher than it already is. If he is able to complete a successful campaign this year, he can assert his value as a center fielder as one of MLB‘s best, along with the likes of Matt Kemp, Curtis Granderson, and Jacoby Ellsbury.
The best case scenario for the Rangers, and for Hamilton, is that they have found their center fielder for the 2012 season in the form of the 2010 AL MVP, and that he can stay healthy for a full season for the first time since 2008. This would allow the Rangers to field the best possible team, and allow the player to secure his best possible future. This move would indicate that with regards to Hamilton, the Rangers are playing for this season, and that is all one could expect them to do.
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