Angels Official Website: Halos' Hamilton expects big year at plate in 2015

[AngelsWin.com]

Josh Hamilton's personal goals haven't changed, even though expectations from the outside have plunged. "I'm gonna say .300, 30 and 100," Hamilton said Sunday night, referencing his batting average, home run and RBI totals when asked about his own expectations for 2015. "Keep it simple. Those are very obtainable."

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[vlad27]

Josh Hamilton's personal goals haven't changed, even though expectations from the outside have plunged. "I'm gonna say .300, 30 and 100," Hamilton said Sunday night, referencing his batting average, home run and RBI totals when asked about his own expectations for 2015. "Keep it simple. Those are very obtainable."

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wow - he said that ? Well I hope he follows through - I guess it would be worse if he said " I'm thinking I'll go .235 , 12 , 65" this year

[ettin]

As much as I would love him to do that, he sure doesn't know how to manage fan expectations.

[ukyah]

i want him to do well because it benefits the angels, but i don't particularly like his annual attitude. that article does more to annoy me, than to make me feel any kind of hope for his performance.

[QuinlansMinion]

He started off red hot last year.  Got that idiotic thumb injury by sliding into first, laughed his way to the bench, and when he came back he was never the same.  

 

Id guess the talent is still there.  A guy like Hamilton who once hit 4 homers in a game has the talent to put up those numbers.  The question is will whatever was plaguing him physically last year still exist, and will he be a complete mental case at the plate again.

[Angelsjunky]

He started off red hot last year.  Got that idiotic thumb injury by sliding into first, laughed his way to the bench, and when he came back he was never the same.  

 

Id guess the talent is still there.  A guy like Hamilton who once hit 4 homers in a game has the talent to put up those numbers.  The question is will whatever was plaguing him physically last year still exist, and will he be a complete mental case at the plate again.

 

This is what is so bothersome about Hamilton. He has the talent presumably, but a major league veteran should be able to re-adjust after an injury. Hamilton didn't - and it was like three or four months.

[DMVol]

This is what is so bothersome about Hamilton. He has the talent presumably, but a major league veteran should be able to re-adjust after an injury. Hamilton didn't - and it was like three or four months.

Hand/wrist injuries are really difficult for a hitter....I think he's basically toast but I'd give him the benefit of the doubt based on that alone......But my biggest concern is the very weird/vague injury/injuries he had at the end of the season...still not sure what was going on there but it didn't pass the smell test, as my Dad used to say...

[fan_since79]

What is also distressing is he said he might try the same stunt again if the opportunity presented itself (diving into first base).

 

A few years ago he broke his arm diving into home plate. That also occurred at the start of the season.

 

[floplag]

it isnt his job to manage our expectations, its our own
this should be some of the best news weve gotten this off season, and yet its generally poo poo'd.
if this guy gets his head on right and produces anything even close to those numbers, we will win the division running away

[jsnpritchett]

He started off red hot last year.  

 

It was 8 games before he got hurt.  I'd wager that you could find comparable 8-game streaks for a number of players within the last couple of years.  The only reason people paid attention to it was that it was at the beginning of the year.  I don't think it was predictive of what his full year would have been like without the injury.  Even within that 8-game "hot streak," he had 2 hitless games.  It just shows the danger of looking at small sample sizes--particularly at the beginning of the year.

[DMVol]

It was 8 games before he got hurt.  I'd wager that you could find comparable 8-game streaks for a number of players within the last couple of years.  The only reason people paid attention to it was that it was at the beginning of the year.  I don't think it was predictive of what his full year would have been like without the injury.  Even within that 8-game "hot streak," he had 2 hitless games.  It just shows the danger of looking at small sample sizes--particularly at the beginning of the year.

He hit .333 in spring training games (11 for 33) so there's that....Nobody knows what he would have done without the injury obviously but 1) it was a hand injury and that's tough for a hitter and 2) he seemingly looked ready to go coming out of ST and, even with a very small sample size, started ok, to add to a decent ST.....I have my doubts for sure but, since we don't have much choice, I'll cut him some slack and see how he looks in ST and early in the year (again)....

[laagamer]

Angels Official Website: Hamilton expects more of the same in 2015

 

"I'm already making 25 million for doing virtually nothing, why change a thing?!" 

 

 

EDIT: Seriously though, I'm rooting for him. What choice do we have...

Edited January 26, 2015 by laagamer

[eligrba]

[ELEVEN]

Meh, brain damage is tough to overcome too.

[Angel Oracle]

How long does it take for a hand/wrist injury to heal totally?    Or does it ever totally heal?

[ettin]

it isnt his job to manage our expectations, its our own

this should be some of the best news weve gotten this off season, and yet its generally poo poo'd.

if this guy gets his head on right and produces anything even close to those numbers, we will win the division running away

You give the majority of the human race more credit than it deserves.

1) Hamilton is a MLB player who is in the spotlight. The things he says and does do create expectations. You and I are capable of managing our expectations but the average fan hear's a statement like that and thinks "Yeah he can do that he did it in 2012!".

2) He declared he was going to do those types of numbers last year and failed to produce. Same news and unfortunately likely to turn into the same poo poo.

3) He is only getting older. Aging curves, which are based on real statistical science, clearly show that, generally, as players age they decline. It will be a real stretch and outside the normal standard deviations (plural) for him to reach that goal.

4) Because he has set such a high benchmark he has created an expectation that he will have great difficulty achieving. This is why I am saying he doesn't know how to manage fan expectations because he cannot set realistic goals for himself and, as I said above, the average fan doesn't know any better and accepts his declaration. Then when the season comes to an end they will likely experience a great degree of disappointment.

Edited January 26, 2015 by ettin

[DMVol]

.....4) Because he has set such a high benchmark he has created an expectation that he will have great difficulty achieving. This is why I am saying he doesn't know how to manage fan expectations because he cannot set realistic goals for himself and, as I said above, the average fan doesn't know any better and accepts his declaration. Then when the season comes to an end they will likely experience a great degree of disappointment.

I guess it's all about what your expectations are....I didn't pay much attention to his quote, you would expect him to be optimistic...my expectation/hope is that he might hit more in the .270ish range with 20 something HR's and maybe at or above 80 RBI's....not great but better than he's been in 13 and 14....less than that and I'll be a little disappointed but probably not surprised...

Edited January 26, 2015 by DMVol