Am I the only one concerned about Hamilton?

[Torridd]

If we're hitting like this without him, could you imagine if he joined the party? I also think we're going to need him down the road so I hope this injury doesn't turn out to be disastrous. I mean, we've already gone that route with Richards and Skaggs.

 

I think an MRI is imminent and I hope it doesn't show anything bad for the long run. 

[m0nkey]

Yes, you are. Everyone is confident when it comes to hambone

[Torridd]

What does that mean?

[eligrba]

I am concerned that he comes back and continues to play with his injury.

[Adam]

He has been no better than Cowgill, so no. I don't think the Angels lose anything. 

[Torridd]

Maybe in the short run, but we've seen small tidbits of his old self. I still think he could be very good for us.

[Glen]

I seem to recall Scioscia being concerned about him, so there are at least two of you.

[Angel Oracle]

And we's talkin about shoulders, shoulders!

[tdawg87]

By the combined efforts of Cowgill, Navarro, and Cron, I think we'll be ok.

[zenmaster]

I think the only problem lies between his ears, not his shoulder.

[bloodbrother]

Shouldn't be too hard to replace a .260 hitter with a .746 OPS, and one who has hit .226 in the 2nd half

[WallyWorld]

I'm concerned. The offense has been red hot for all of 5 or 6 days, after looking like complete shite for weeks after the ASB. I'm sure it's going to go cold again, and come October this team is going to need all the hitters they can get. I just don't see them going very far without Hamilton being in there and at least partially resembling his old self.

[WallyWorld]

One of the big reasons the offense has been hot recently is that Howie has been on a tear in the clean-up spot. And we all know Howie isn't streaky at all. 

[Torridd]

That's a bit how I see it. Sooner or later, probably later in the playoffs, we're going to need a big hit. At this point, it looks like we can skate through the regular season. My faith in how well Cowgill and others face All-Star pitching in the playoffs is not very strong.

[fan_since79]

I'm concerned about him finding his way back into the cleanup spot and swinging at every pitch in the same area code.

[DoubleOffTheWall]

That's a bit how I see it. Sooner or later, probably later in the playoffs, we're going to need a big hit. At this point, it looks like we can skate through the regular season. My faith in how well Cowgill and others face All-Star pitching in the playoffs is not very strong.

 

Yeah I agree. Hammy needs to come back.

 

Numbers don't tell the whole story. 

 

I think after seeing what happened to Oakland after the Cespedes trade (a guy with somewhat deceivingly good numbers), I've started to buy in to the need to have some hitters just for their "presence" in the line-up, even if the numbers don't exactly show them to be hitting that well...

[Troll Daddy]

Hamilton is a very important bat ...  doesn't necessarily have to be clean up.

[Sully151]

If/when he comes back, I hope it is in the bottom third I the lineup, at least until he gets hot or Howie gets cold.

[QuinlansMinion]

Theres still 3 weeks to go in the regular season. It doesnt sound like his injury is that serious, they could just be keeping him out to get him right for the postseason. He is the type of hitter that can come back rested and go on a tear.

[Torridd]

On the contrary QM, the last word is Scioscia has no idea how bad this injury is. They've given him cortisone shots and it's not getting better.

[19HALO71]

On the contrary QM, the last word is Scioscia has no idea how bad this injury is. They've given him cortisone shots and it's not getting better.

This is what I heard this morning. No real idea about what is going on.

[19HALO71]

Honestly, I would be okay without Hamilton. Can't really miss something that you never had to begin with.

 

We are playing much better without him. Maybe this injury has been nagging him for awhile. Whatever is going on, things are rolling now.

[Ohtaniland]

With Hamilton I think it's safe to say that Arte got duped. To go from a .930ops to a sub .750ops is very telling. Sum Ting Wong and its long term.

[tomsred]

I don't believe Hamilton is done.  We need him for the playoffs, he can be an intimidating veteran bat.  He does get injured a lot, and I think the hand injury slowed him up a lot this year.  He's a excellent defensive player as well.

[T.G.]

Torrid, I'm with you.  I am concerned.  I'd like to see him back in the lineup.  His streaky performance aside, I think they team has much more upside with him in the lineup.  Call me crazy, but I'll take my chances with Josh Hamilton over guys like Cowgill in the post season.

 

I love how some fans like to make proclamations about whether or not a player is "done."  It's one of the things that makes me crazy.  Everyone's entitled to an opinion, but this board loves to pile on when a player is down.  Sometimes it's as if they take joy in that process. The silly nicknames are juvenile and tiresome. 

 

I believe he can still be productive and a force in the middle of the lineup.  He's had lots of nagging injuries and that's unfortunate.  I'm not even close to writing him off.