The Rangers have gone to great lengths to protect Josh Hamilton’s fragile health.
They moved him from center field, where he is a natural, to left, where he can do a little less running and a lot less crashing into things. They told David Murphy he’d have to go back to the bench after he played like a starter for a year. And they gave center field to Julio Borbon, praying he’d improve enough over time to justify the decision.
Center field: Dangerous. Left field: Safe. Got it.
So, how come nobody ever figured out anything about the dangers of DH?
The fact that Hamilton wrecked his shoulder Tuesday was a potentially traumatic turn for what has otherwise been a splendid start for the Rangers. That it happened one at-bat into his first game of the year in the relatively low-stress role of DH underscores the team’s long-term predicament. No matter what they do, they simply can’t protect him enough. Spread down pillows across the field, and he’d probably develop an allergy to feathers. Encase him in bubble wrap, and he’d probably fall on a rake. He’s that injury prone.
It is also why the contract the Rangers negotiated with him this winter, the two-year deal worth $24 million that carries him up to free agency, is likely to be the only long-term contract he ever gets with the Rangers. The rewards are huge. The risk might be even bigger.
When he dove head-first into home plate, trying to tag up on a first-inning foul pop to the third baseman, Hamilton suffered a non-displaced (no dislocation) fracture of the humerus at the top of his right arm. According to Rangers medical officials, the usual recovery time from such an injury is six to 10 weeks. The Rangers are preparing for Hamilton to miss eight. But based on his healing patterns from the past, don’t rule out 10. Or longer.
Bottom line: The Rangers have a world-class athlete in a porcelain body.
"He’s an astoundingly athletic man," Rangers GM Jon Daniels said. "He’s 240 pounds and capable of doing a lot of things that you don’t see many people doing. That combination of size, speed and athleticism puts him at risk for some injury, sure. But how many times have you seen him go head-first and not get hurt. I look at this as a freak thing."
It is a wonder to watch Hamilton on the field. He does so many things so well almost all the time. Even if we are talking about sliding or diving. Just Sunday, he made a pair of great catches with perfect sliding form in left field to help preserve the Rangers’ 3-0 win over Baltimore.
And just before he broke his arm Tuesday, he dived into third with a run-scoring triple to give the Rangers an early lead.
When on the field, he is as close to athletic perfection as you will find. The problem, of course, is keeping him on the field.
There are too many "freak things." If Hamilton comes back in mid-June and plays every inning of every game the rest of the way, he still will end up missing the equivalent of one-third of the season. He’s already missed half of one season (2009) and a month of another (2010) in his first three years with the Rangers. You can’t miss that much time and be a franchise-type player.
When he comes back, he’s going to be faced once again with this dilemma: Keep playing with fearless recklessness and take whatever other injuries are sure to come his way or tone things down and perhaps lose some of the edge that separates him in an effort to stay on the field more.
It’s a tough decision.
But you know what might be tougher: Asking a franchise to commit well over $100 million to a player who possesses Hamilton’s extraordinary skills but comes with his exceptional risk.
