Josh Hamilton?s life has been a roller-coaster of extremes.
The zenith came in 1999, when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays gave him a record $3.96-million signing bonus out of high school as the top pick in that year?s amateur draft. The nadir came this past October, when he showed up at his 75-year-old grandmother?s front door as a drug addict looking for help.
Today, Hamilton is somewherein between, as the outfielder looks to regain control of his life and a career that many scouts felt would compare to Yankees great Mickey Mantle.
That first big step back is with the Hudson Valley Renegades of the New York-Penn League. “I never thought I would get this opportunity,” said Hamilton at Ripken Stadium prior to last Thursday?s game with the Aberdeen IronBirds. “I know this is my last chance to redeem myself.”
Hamilton?s opportunity for a comeback became a reality last month, when Major League Baseball reinstated him. He had been on baseball?s restricted list since Feb. 18, 2004 for violating its drug policy.
Prior to his return on Independence Day, Hamilton had been in and out of eight drug rehabilitation centers since 2003, but he has been clean since Oct. 6. Most of his signing bonus is now in the hands of drug dealers and rehab centers.
Hamilton, who takes full responsibility for his mistakes, said he never drank or did drugs until he was 20 and looked for an escape to deal with the boredom that came with being injured. He said he couldn?t have made it back this far without the support of his family, most especially his grandmother, Mary Holt, and his wife, Katie, with whom he has two daughters ? Julia, 5, and Sierra, 10 months.
“The Josh I know is a good person, but his addiction controlled him,” Katie said. “If he hadn?t made his way to his grandmother?s that night, he wouldn?t be here today. And I don?t mean here playing baseball, I mean here in life.”
Renegades manager Matt Quatraro said Hamilton has a way to go for a full comeback.
“Josh is in shape but not game shape yet,” he said. “Any expectations about his success right now is unrealistic until he gets some more at-bats.”
THE HAMILTON FILE
Age: 25
Hometown: Raleigh, N.C.
Position: Outfield
Did you know? Hamilton went 1-for-3 on Tuesday at Hudson Valley in a 7-2 loss to the Brooklyn Cyclones … He cried during the national anthem and received a standing ovation from the fans prior to his first at-bat … Prior to that, he last played organized baseball on July 10, 2002 … He missed more than 700 games due to injury, suspension or other reasons over the last seven years.
