Reds acquire former top pick HamiltonTroubled outfielder gets another shot at Majors via Rule 5By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- After he's endured an extremely long career detour from baseball caused by drugs, alcohol and injuries, can former overall No. 1 pick Josh Hamilton ever reach his potential?
The Reds decided it was worth the risk to find out.
The usually mundane proceedings of Thursday's Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings took an interesting turn when the Cubs selected Hamilton from Tampa Bay with the third pick of the day. Chicago turned around and dealt the 25-year-old outfielder to the Reds for cash considerations.
Under the Rule 5 provisions, Hamilton must stay on Cincinnati's 25-man Major League roster for the entire season, or be offered back to Tampa Bay for $25,000.
The Reds, who had the 15th pick on Thursday, had a pre-arranged deal with the Cubs to get Hamilton. In an interesting side note, Reds manager Jerry Narron met him when Hamilton was a teenager. Narron's brother, Johnny, coached Hamilton on a North Carolina amateur baseball team.
"We're real pleased to have him," Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky said. "I'm looking forward to seeing him in Spring Training. We did a lot of work on this and decided to move up in the draft in case somebody else was thinking about the same thing."
Hamilton, who was earning some extra money cutting trees near his North Carolina home when he got word of the deal, was stunned by the news.
"There are really no words to describe it, because I wasn't expecting this," Hamilton said. "It took me by total surprise. It's a chance to start over with a fresh start. I'm looking forward to it."
In June 1999, the Devil Rays made Hamilton the No. 1 overall pick of the draft out of Athens Drive High School in North Carolina. His numerous tools, especially his pure left-handed hitting power, made him the obvious choice, and he was projected to have a big-time Major League career.
Since then, just about everything has gone wrong.
While still climbing his way up the Minors, a 2001 car accident with his parents left Hamilton with an injured back and kept him out for an extended period. That was around the time he became addicted to cocaine and alcohol and frequented tattoo shops on a regular basis. By July 10, 2002, he was suspended after violating Major League Baseball's substance-abuse policies.
The layoff would last four years while Hamilton was on the restricted list and unable to clean up his life.
This season, Hamilton was allowed to participate in Tampa Bay's extended Spring Training. He was cleared to play in the summer and returned with Class A Hudson Valley on July 4.
Clearly, there is risk involved for the Reds in acquiring Hamilton. Krivsky said ownership gave its approval before he moved forward.
"You do as much background work as you can and you make a decision," Krivsky said. "There's risk in everything you do. I'm not sure there's ever been an [overall No. 1] pick taken in the Rule 5. We feel it's worth the gamble. We like his upside still. He's still relatively young at 25. We're excited to have him and excited to see what he looks like in Spring Training."
In 15 games with Hudson Valley, Hamilton batted .260 with no homers and five RBIs. He is also coming off arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, and is expected to fully recover.
Hamilton also has taken steps to get his life back in order again. He is married with two daughters, whom he has credited for helping him stay clean. Although admitting he was nervous about changing teams, the idea of finally reaching the Majors had him optimistic.
"You can't describe it. It's a dream come true," Hamilton said. "From where I've been the last three or four years, for this to happen and that people have confidence in me for where I'm going now and how I'm living my life ... Baseball is something I do and have been good at in the past. I'm fortunate somebody still has faith in me.
"Baseball has never been the problem. I've always known I had the ability to do it, and it's something I love doing. I've been practicing and working hard while I've been at home. I'm feeling good. I guarantee I'll come in the best shape I've been in since I've been playing. I'm just excited about it. I'll just go out there and play the best I can."
Hamilton will try to make the Reds as a reserve corner outfielder. He will be competing with Bubba Crosby, Chris Denorfia, Norris Hopper and others.
Can Hamilton regain the power and sweet swing that scouts and clubs drooled over seven years ago?
"There are certain obstacles, obviously," Krivsky said. "We wouldn't have taken him if we didn't think he could overcome them. The upside is still there at his age. It'll be up to us to get him as many at-bats as we can get for him this year, assuming he stays with us."
With their own Rule 5 pick, the Reds also selected pitcher Jared Burton from the Athletics. Burton, a right-hander, was 6-5 with a 4.14 ERA in 53 relief appearances. He has a 93-94 mph fastball, according to Reds' scouting reports. Like Hamilton, Burton must remain on the Reds' 25-man roster all season or be sent back to his old club.
"We think he has a chance to be a pretty good setup guy," Reds professional scouting director J. Harrison said. "He's basically got a 30-day audition. The good thing about Spring Training is we'll get a good chance to see him compete in a few games and we'll run him out there."
