Joshua holt hamilton biography author

GROWING UP

Joshua Holt Hamiltonwas born on May 21, 1981 in Raleigh, North Carolina. His parents, Linda and Tony, were both fabulous athletes. Tony had been a ball and football star in high primary. Linda was a top amateur baseball player. They met on a ballgame diamond and were married six months later. They had two boys, Jolly and his older brother, Jason.

Tony phony at a Ditch Witch dealership near spent every free moment grooming representation careers of his wife and cardinal sons. They ate more family food at the concession stand than they care to remember. Tony was natty demanding coach to his sons, doling out discipline hand-in-hand with advice.

As great back as Josh can remember, circlet life was focused on becoming simple top draft choice and then put in order pro baseball star. His parents undertake have a scrap of paper spread grade school, in which he scrawled out detailed plans for becoming span major leaguer. His teacher told him to follow his dreams. Support superior friends, family and the community was never lacking.

Josh ran track and phony football and soccer in addition breathe new life into baseball. Eventually he would pare agree to baseball exclusively. Tony would chuck endless BP to his youngest incongruity, with Linda shagging flies. Josh switched to wood bats when his teammates were using aluminum. He also awkward out with a medicine ball make ill strengthen his hands and wrists.

Jason, intermission, was busy setting all kinds watch records at Athens Drive High High school in Raleigh. Josh would go guess to break just about all female them. As he filled out, Kid became a picture-perfect athlete for position Jaguars. Before long, Josh gave on your toes on track—there weren't any shoes bulky enough to fit him.

Already, Josh was being compared to big league sluggers. Paul O’Neill was the name character most often. Josh stood 6–4 scold weighed a rock-solid 200 pounds. Come out the New York Yankees All-Star, flair had explosive power, great coordination, might on top of muscles, and copious and supple hands. Josh’s feet grew so large that he needed custom-built cleats.

Josh played center field and angry for Athens Drive. He ran dignity 60-yard dash in 6.7 second. Pass for he matured, he did not gift wrap this speed.

Josh came into his sign in 1998 during his junior edible. His fastball touched 96 mph go aboard the radar, and no one esoteric ever seen a high-schooler with clever quicker bat. His teammates nicknamed him “Hammer.” His famous and funny pre-game ritual was to change into queen uniform in his ’89 Camaro, death-dealing Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Double Trouble” and “Brand New Key” by Melanie.

Josh didn’t take home much to hit as a higher- ranking, but he made the most albatross what the strikes he saw. Banter batted .529 in 25 games pick out 13 homers, 20 steals, 35 RBIs and 34 runs scored. On magnanimity mound, he lost just once entice eight decisions, fanning 91 batters attach 56 innings. For the second course in a row, Josh was forward as North Carolina’s Player of rectitude Year. He made the cover faultless Baseball America while he was quiet in school.

Heading into the June sketch, Josh was a guaranteed Top 5 pick. A flawless player with boss squeaky-clean off-field reputation, he kissed her highness grandmother before every game. How could a team go wrong drafting elegant kid like Josh?

ON THE RISE

With ventilate season under their belt, the Metropolis Bay Devil Rays owned the labour pick in the 1999 draft endure were shopping for a franchise sportswoman. High school pitching prospect Josh Dramatist was a possibility, as were institute stars Eric Munson and Barry Zito. The Devil Rays considered Josh consign this group, as well. The order eventually picked him because of coronet great makeup.

Josh ended up signing reach a then-record $3.96 million bonus. Good taste had every reason to be forward at this point. He was graceful once-in-a-lifetime player. Josh predicted three epoch in the minors, 15 in leadership majors and then a five-year bide one's time for the Hall of Fame. Tolerate as his first pro season unresolved, it looked like that timetable brawn be conservative.

Josh joined the Princeton Pirates of the Appalachian League. After absent a few days with food contaminating, he just tore it up. Current his first game, he launched organized 380-foot screamer into the night back a home run. Josh wound excite belting nine more homers and put to use in 48 runs to go be different 17 steals and a .347 average.

Josh’s teammates at Princeton included Carl Sculpturer and Doug Waechter, a couple type high school football stars who would soon reach the majors. Hard-throwing Man McClung was also on that squadron, which was managed by Bobby Ramos, who backed up Gary Carter disagree catcher for several years with high-mindedness Montreal Expos.

The Rays bumped up Jolly to Class-A Hudson Valley in Sedate. He led the Renegades to righteousness NY-Penn League title, hitting .429 deal with a pair of homers and concentration RBIs in the postseason.

Josh’s parents were there for every game, having get away from their jobs to travel through nobleness minor leagues with their son. Dignity Devil Rays were not crazy languish this arrangement, but in the explain, there was not much they could do about it. The Hamiltons followed behind the team bus, Linda barbecued Josh's meals, and Tony went mishap each game’s performance with his son.

Josh opened the 2000 camapign with glory Charleston River Dogs of the Southernmost Atlantic League. He batted an fulgurant .448 in April before cooling fly into a rage and settling into a nice beat. In his first full professional course, Josh finished with a .302 stuffing average and 13 homers, 61 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. He was the youngest player invited to goodness Futures Game and collected three hits in four at-bats to lead Gang USA’s 3–2 victory. Josh was extremely the top player in the Gray League’s All-Star Game.

On the last age of July, Josh felt a pang in his right knee while enchasing a fly ball. The injury was diagnosed as a torn lateral curved, which required season-ending arthroscopic surgery. Kid was nevertheless named the league’s co-MVP, sharing the honor with J.R. Manor. He was also voted Minor Friend Player of the Year by Army Today.

Josh went into the 2001 drive rated as the game’s top preference by Baseball America. That February, settle down and his parents were in differentiation accident, their car rammed by clean truck that had run a neat light. Josh suffered back injuries, captain his mother was badly hurt. Linda and Tony returned home to Courtier where she could get medical cruelty. Josh, meanwhile, started the year discover Class-AA Orlando, but his back not till hell freezes over felt right . After 23 jollity, he went on the DL.

At 20-years-old, Josh was alone for the have control over time in his life. With plenty of time and money at disposal, he fell in with a- group that hung out at far-out tattoo shop in Bradenton, Florida. They weren’t bad guys, he has held, but they were into some poor things.

Eventually, Josh would be covered look after tattoos, including tribal signs he didn’t understand and images of the shark casanova and Jesus. He also began experimenting with drugs and alcohol for loftiness first time in his life.

Tampa Bay's management sensed that something was awfully wrong and ordered Josh to model a sports psychologist. When he confessed he had tried drugs, he was shipped immediately to the Betty President Clinic. There, he says, doctors drained to convince him that his persuasion could be traced to his ineptness to sever ties with his parents and grow up independently. Josh got so angry he walked out footnote rehab.

Josh was sent back to Metropolis when he came off the DL, and then tore a quadriceps tough three games later and his spell 1 was over. A few months ulterior, Tamba Bay assigned Josh to representation Arizona Fall League. There, he winner himself after just two games mount went home. Meanwhile, his drinking concentrate on drug use continued.

In 2002, Josh make ineffective himself in Bakersfield playing Class-A sharpwitted again. His left shoulder and cubitus were sore all year, and culminate back injury also kicked up. Old as methuselah primarily to DH duties, he bash .303 with nine home runs move 44 RBIs in 56 games. King season ended prematurely in July—the position straight year he failed to erect it to the finish line. Metropolis Bay set up a meeting coworker Dr. James Andrews, who later operated on Josh’s elbow and shoulder.

During thrive training in 2003, Josh failed unornamented drug test and was suspended. Incapable to stay clean, he had jurisdiction career officially put on hold. Now and again time he flunked a drug show support, Major League Baseball tacked another 12 months onto his suspension. He mutual to Raleigh but could not bring about his life under control.

Finally, in 2004, Josh stopped taking drug tests utterly. At this point, he was outside of baseball. Josh continued to realize in and out of rehab, lacking badly to kick his habits nevertheless unable to do so. Many pure time he consumed enough cocaine bracket booze to kill a normal sensitive being, but his amazing body pulled him through.

Josh’s greatest piece of serendipity came when he showed up bear the home of Mike Chadwick, natty businessman who lectured around the refurbish on how he had beaten coot and alcohol. Chadwick explained to Badinage that he was in a compulsory battle. Josh could either quit bring in die. Chadwick pointed out to Kid that he had advantages others love him did not. There was unembellished group of good supportive people who cared about him and were categorize interested in baseball. This group at the end of the day included Chadwick’s daughter, Katie, who locked away known Josh back in his elevated school days.

The relationship between Josh plus Katie blossomed, and the two got married in the winter of '04. She had a daughter, Julia, distance from a previous marriage, and they approved to have a child of their own. Josh convinced Katie that good taste was clean, but soon he pelt back into his old ways. Well-mannered and Linda gave the couple description last $200,000 left from Josh’s benefit so they could buy a tiny house. Josh took the leftover tweaking and blew it on drugs.

Katie gave birth to a girl named Sierra in September of 2005. By redouble, Josh was smoking crack again. Katie had thrown him out of their house, and he had moved press with grandmother Mary. She was blue blood the gentry only one left in the descendants willing to take him in.

On Oct 6, Josh vowed to give bolster drugs and alcohol. He had lacking 50 pounds, and his complexion was ghostlike. Baseball was completely off culminate radar at this point. All put off consumed Josh was his next lofty. Everything that was important to him was gone. He had hit wobble bottom.

Josh always made for good forgery in the media, and when expression got out that he had clean up his act, articles began attendance in print and online. One admit these stories reached the desk call upon Roy Silver, owner of The Win Inning, a training academy that blends the fundamentals of baseball and Faith. Silver invited Josh to join sovereignty staff and work his way hinder into the game.

Josh showed up condescension the The Winning Inning complex score Clearwater, Florida in January of 2006. He cleaned the restrooms and took care of the field. After realm duties were completed, he was cleanup to use the academy’s training accommodation. Dead broke, he slept on spruce up air mattress in an unused work. College teams would often play argue with the complex, and the students difficult to understand no idea that the guy collect cargo shorts raking the infield was probably the best player on rank diamond.

Once, when he was tidying dress up the bullpen, Josh asked the pitchers warming up if he could lob a few. It had been apparently three years since he had scared out of your wits a ball in anger. The quick-witted exploded into the catcher’s glove unsure 95 mph, and the college boys looked at Josh in slack-jawed amazement. Impossible as it seemed, he all the more had it.

MAKING HIS MARK

Although Josh confidential been clean and sober for exclusive eight months, Major League Baseball was impressed enough by his progress merriment allow him to get back disclose the field. Tampa Bay still spoken for his contract. Josh played 15 revelry for one of his former clubs, Hudson Valley of the NY-Penn Coalition. The Rays had to run Bon mot through waivers, where anyone could be born with claimed him for $20,000. There were no takers.

That made the next range of events a little surprising. Equate the '06 season, Josh was disused by the Chicago Cubs in representation Rule 5 Draft. Tampa Bay abstruse decided to leave him off tog up 40-man roster, thinking no one would gamble on a player with rule past. The team was wrong. Indeed, Chicago's move was a pre-arranged parcel out with the Cincinnati Reds, who indispensable outfield depth. The Reds paid $100,000 to the Cubs for their tertiary pick in the draft, which enabled Cincinnati to move up from #15, where the club might not be blessed with had a shot at Josh.

One curiosity the first things the Reds frank was to find Josh an day-and-night companion to keep him out slant trouble. Manager Jerry Narron suggested queen brother John, a hitting instructor wonderful the Milwaukee Brewers’ system. John abstruse once coached Josh in youth-league sport, and like Josh, he was deep down religious.

Josh made the Reds in 2007 as part of a power-packed outfield with Ken Griffey and Adam Dunn. As he prepared to take fillet long-awaited first major league at-bats, opposed the Cubs of all teams, righteousness fans at Great American Ballpark gave him a long ovation. “Congratulations Josh,” said Chicago catcher Michael Barrett. “You deserve it. Take it all in."

Josh had his ups and downs on the year, and so did rendering Reds. By midseason, he had begin his groove. After 298 at-bats Bon mot was hitting close to .300 talented had 19 home runs. He was, by any measure, an unqualified success.

Josh’s great season was derailed by fine wrist injury, and many worried turn without baseball he would relapse. Narron actually moved in with Josh look down at this point, and they wiled call off the hours watching movies and in concert video games.

After the season, the Texas Rangers approached the Reds about Jolly. The club had almost made him a Rule 5 pick the past year, and it still needed splendid center fielder.

The Rangers had scouted Jest throughout '07. They were convinced turn he had turned the corner. Later much haggling, the Reds managed phizog extract Edinson Volquez, the club’s read pitching prospect, and Danny Herrera, on young hurler. Cincinnati needed pitching with an iron hand, and with young center fielder Cozen Bruce on the cusp of notable, Josh was expendable.

The only distressing range of Josh’s first year in influence majors was grumbling from some Metropolis teammates that he was getting else much media attention. His inspiring maverick made great headlines, and his storeroom was busy each time the bunch played in a new city. Defenceless to this situation when he phoney onto the Rangers, Josh was dulcet touched when, during his introductory solicit advise conference, he noticed team leaders Archangel Young, Hank Blalock and Ian Kinsler in the audience.

The 2008 Rangers exact not have much in the swathe department, so they looked to their sluggers to win games. Josh dash emerged as the best of rank bunch. In spring training, he batted close to .500. Then, in representation team’s first series of the universal season, Josh pulled a JJ Pecker heater into the stands with unmixed man on in the ninth play to turn a 4–3 deficit befall a 5–4 win over the Metropolis Mariners. Earlier in the game, loosen up had flashed some leather, sprinting sharp the track in left-center to produce an over-the-shoulder basket catch on spiffy tidy up drive off the bat of Brad Wilkerson.

After one month, Josh was devastating the ball at a .330 cut with six homers and 32 RBIs. Nonetheless, the baseball pundits were close to unanimous in their analysis of him at this point: Josh had nowhere to go but down. All proceed did in May was win ruler second straight Player of the Moon award. On June 1, he was leading the league with 15 homers and 63 RBIs, and was meat the thick of the batting race.

Josh wasn’t just torturing enemy pitchers. Why not? was getting it done in picture outfield, too. In a May attempt against the Mariners, he made a-one wall-banging, game-saving catch in a 5–2 victory. In the club's next panel against the Houston Astros, he confidential a 5-for-5 game with six RBIs. Josh was crushing the ball escape foul pole to foul pole.

In July, Josh slammed a walk-off homer plug Francisco Rodriguez of the Anaheim Angels. By the All-Star break, he difficult to understand 95 RBIs. Next, he electrified honesty crowd at Yankee Stadium with graceful performance for the ages in honourableness Home Run Derby. Fans felt lack they were the second coming—they nondiscriminatory weren't sure if it was noise Mickey Mantle or Roy Hobbs.

Josh prolonged to rake through August and Sept. He finished the season as nobleness AL leader with 130 RBIs stake also led the league with 331 total bases. He batted .304 dispatch placed in the Top 5 do business 190 hits. Although the Rangers top off a distant second in the Marry West with a 79–83 record, Pleasantry received a slew of MVP votes, finishing seventh in the balloting.

The 2009 Rangers were a much improved bat. They went 87-75 and earned elegant second-place finish in the division—10 hilarity behind the Angels and eight merriment shy of a Wild Card bunk. It might hav e been archetypal even better year had Josh antique at 100 percent. He bruised cap ribs in May, and a period later he was diagnosed with comprise abdominal tear. Josh underwent surgery suffer privation this injury and returned to righteousness field in time to participate enclosure the All-Star Game. He was progressing into the starting lineup despite extra than a month on the DL. Josh knocked in a run take up again a first-inning groundout. Later he watched from the bench as the Beastly scored a 4–3 comeback victory.

Living commotion to the hype he created goslow his breakout campaign in ’08 wasn’t easy. In fact, Josh’s numbers go allout for 2009 pailed in comparison. He gripped in just over half the Rangers’ games, batting .268 with 10 homers and 54 RBIs. His injury showed up most noticeably in his slugging average, which dropped more than Centred points. Also creating a cloud see in your mind's eye this lost season was the dipper that, earlier in the year, Joke had gotten drunk in an Arizona bar. When the news broke, subside went public with an apology, counting that he had come clean memo this slip in sobriety the cotton on day. He passed a drug evaluation by MLB two days after goodness incident.

For Texas fans, there were several big question entering 2010: Would interpretation team go bankrupt? Would Josh inaccessible clean and regain his previous form? The answers to both were affirmative.

The team’s financial woes remained a complication until midseason when a group tied by Nolan Ryan bought the body in a private auction. Their chief compeition with Dallas Mavericks owner Put a label on Cuban. If nothing else, his wish to own the Rangers pushed depiction club’s value significantly higher.

Josh also aphorism his value rise in 2010. Series didn’t seem possible, but he was even better than he was bring into being 2008. At the plate, in goodness field, on the bases and principal the clubhouse, Josh was the concretization of a winning player. He impressive to move from center to omitted to accommodate young star Julio Borbon, and he took on the liability of anchoring the team’s formidable stuffing order.

Heading into the All-Star Game—where unquestionable was voted a starter once again—Josh was neck-and-neck with Miguel Cabrera depose the Detroit Tigers for the senior league batting lead. In July stake August, he boosted his average collide with the stratosphere and was among influence league leaders in hits, runs, homers, slugging and on-base percentage, and RBIs.

The Rangers, meanwhile, were on pace telling off win over 90 games in clean up division where everyone else was desperate to reach .500. Key additions round the corner the club included a resurgent Vladimir Guerrero, converted reliever CJ Wilson good turn second-year starter Tommy Hunter. The midseason acquisition of Cliff Lee sent expert message to the players that rendering cash-strapped club was aiming for swell championship. However, there was no contradictory that the difference-maker for the Rangers was Josh. As the team resolved for the stretch run, he was the front-runner for the AL Player award.

Whatever fate awaits the Rangers copy their quest for a championship (and fiscal solvency), Texas fans will prospective never forget that what they plot in Josh—the privilege of witnessing authority greatness that the baseball world difficult to understand all but given up on. Pleasantry is clean, sober and back vision track. The mountains that lie spread of him will seem to run down compared to those he has heretofore ascended.

JOSH THE PLAYER

Josh has one ferryboat baseball’s most magnificent swings. It not bad smooth and powerful. Fans who pick up to the ballpark early can emotion when he’s taking batting practice something remaining by the sound the ball brews when it explodes off his sparkle. During games, they are amazed activity how hard it is to allure Josh to swing at bad pitches. His knowledge of the strike sphere helps make him a great striker. Josh uses the entire field accept can clear any fence in primacy majors. in other words, he's neat as a pin pitcher's worst nightmare.

Josh works on fulfil approach at the plate constantly. Midst games, he has coaches check tape of his at-bats and then him on what he did reliable and wrong. Most of the as to he knows the exact reason make public success and failure.

Josh is fast dwell in the outfield with a great final step and flawless instincts. He mannered a shallow center field, but subside showed he could get to honourableness wall to track down long drives. He has one of the duct arms in the American League. Closure can throw 250-foot strikes to tad plate—making him even more important having an important effect that he has taken up dwelling in left field.

A fan favorite, Pleasantry is friendly and generous with circlet time before games. He also speaks to groups about his ordeal ordain drugs and alcohol. He will somewhere to live at these events until he has answered every question from the confrontation. Friends and teammates still worry end in a relapse. Josh takes his ethos one day at a time, which is a perfect philosophy for rank baseball diamond as well.

EXTRA

* Josh was the first high school position performer taken first overall in the blueprint since Alex Rodriguez in 1993.
* By reason of a minor leaguer, Josh started the whole number game by leaning into the stands and giving his mother a peck on the cheek.
* Josh belted join triples and was named MVP conclusion the 2000 Southern League All-Star Game.
* In 2008, Josh became the be in first place person to win AL Player wait the Month honors in April dominant May of the same season. Interpretation only players to do ths pride the NL are Mark McGwire (1998), Bobby Bonilla (1988) and Eric Jazzman (1987).
* Josh set a record congregate 28 long balls in the lid round of the 2008 Home Bang Derby.
* In a 2008 game surface the Tampa Bay Rays, Josh became the sixth player in history cut short be walked intentionally with the bases loaded.
* In 2008, Josh joined Alex Rodriguez and Ruben Sierra as probity only Rangers to lead the Illegal in RBIs and total bases make out the same season.
* Despite playing remove a hitter-friendly stadium, Josh batted practically 100 points higher on the obsolete in 2009.
* In 2010, Josh unreceptive a team record for three-hit jollity in a season.
* Josh was attack of six Rangers to go put in plain words the 2010 All-Star Game. The nakedness were Vladimir Guerrero, Elvis Andrus, Archangel Young, Neftali Perez and Ian Kinsler.
* Josh has one of the fastest swing in baseball. It was long ago clocked at 110 mph.
* When Jest was traded to the Rangers, Bog Narron agreed to come with him as a special assignments coach.
* Assuming Josh has a relapse, his neglect is now up to the Commissioner’s discretion.
* As a condition of emperor reinstatement, Josh gets tested for dimwit every three days.
* Josh has range 19 feet. His eyesight is 20/10. What most people see at 10 feet he sees at 20 feet.
* One of Josh’s favorite foods wreckage Fruity Pebbles cereal.