Comments on: Sickels on Hamilton

By: Justin

Justin — Wed, 02 May 2007 16:57:02 +0000

Hamilton should be fine. He is in form right now. If he struggles a little a little time off will help him. Last year Dunn et al wore down at the end of the season. I think that is a lesson learned, perhaps and a better use of squad rotation will keep Hamilton fit.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Wed, 02 May 2007 13:09:53 +0000

He may wear down a little, much the same as Phillips did at the end of last season. Its been a few years since Hamilton played this many games.

By: Y-City Jim

Y-City Jim — Tue, 01 May 2007 21:04:33 +0000

I can see exhaustion as a culprit but not inexperience. There have been exceptional talents make the short leap to the majors. Some just have the talent and the confidence to make it happen.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 01 May 2007 19:14:53 +0000

The good news is that there aren’t many lefties in the division (and fewer good ones):
Capuano, Lilly, Rich Hill, Wandy Rodriguez…the Pirates have 3, though: Gorzelanny, Duke, and Maholm.

By: blindfish

blindfish — Tue, 01 May 2007 16:22:06 +0000

When Griffey hits his yearly stint on the DL, Hamilton will be forced into an everyday role. He’ll have to face lefties regularly, and I think his average will go down somewhat. Even if he tails off a bit though, he’ll be at or near the top for ROY.

By: al

al — Tue, 01 May 2007 16:13:45 +0000

i won’t be dissappointed in hamilton’s season unless he falls off the wagon, and i hope that his family, friends, teammates, coaches and fans can all help him avoid that.

i think he’ll hit close to .300, with 25+ HRs and a strong walk rate. but that almost doesn’t matter from a reds standpoint, because if he can stay clean and healthy, he’ll be a perennial MVP candidate going forward.

By: DevilsAdvocate

DevilsAdvocate — Tue, 01 May 2007 14:12:52 +0000

I was purposefully very pessimistic in my projection – I don’t want to have any room for disappointment whatsoever when reviewing his season.

I also made the point – which I haven’t seen anyone make – that in his circumstances, he’s going to be very vulnerable to injury and, for lack of a better word, ‘exhaustion.’ The only time he even approached a full season was 391 at bats, and that career-high playing time occurred back in 2000. His next highest total was just 211 AB.

I believe that we’re likely to see a couple things. One, a major slump towards the end of the season as he gets tired; maybe even for the entire second half a la 2006 Ross. Two, I think we’ll see some stress-related injuries like the shinsplints in spring training. I note that his minor-league trial last season ended in short order when he had to have knee surgery.