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Ready, or not? Devil Rays debate what to do with phenom Hamilton
Updated: Thursday March 08, 2001 3:05 AM
By John Donovan, CNNSI.com ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- There are some things a baseball player can be ready for. A fastball down the middle of the plate. A big, fat contract. A jump to the big leagues. Josh Hamilton never was prepared for this. "I've always been scared to be in front of people," the latest, greatest phenom in baseball said after facing another round of questions from another dozen or so media members. "Guess I'm growing up a little bit." The education of Josh Hamilton continues at a breakneck pace here in spring training. Not a day comes and goes without another test for the 19-year-old Tampa Bay Devil Rays wunderkind. Both on the field and off it. Hamilton is doing just fine, in both places. In fact, better than fine. Tuesday in his debut as a starter in a major league spring training game, he went 3-for-4, punched out two doubles and a single and drove in four runs against the Toronto Blue Jays. Is that enough to force a jump from Class A ball, where he dominated last season, to the big leagues? "I think each level is an important level to stop at," says Devil Rays teammate Ben Grieve, a phenom himself at one time. "Those guys who make the big jumps -- they don't realize how difficult it is."
It's certainly enough to get a lot of people thinking about it. That's not to say that Grieve doesn't think Hamilton shouldn't make the big team at such a young age. Or that he couldn't. "If there is a guy who could do it," Grieve says, "it would be him." Still, there are a lot of questions. Should the Rays call up Hamilton and risk having him overwhelmed, possibly causing him some long-term psychological damage? Should they let him sit in the minors for a little more seasoning, even though they could use his talent? How would young Hamilton react to playing another season in the minors? How would he react to making the bigs two years before he's even allowed to have a beer with the guys? Do it now? Or do it later? "If you can do it, you can do it no matter what age you are," says Hamilton, who certainly is up-front with his desire to skip the small stuff and hit the bigs this season. "I'm not going to try to push it or rush it or anything like that. I'm just going to go out and play baseball." That's exactly what the Rays want to see. Their first pick in the 1999 draft took a $3.96 million contract from the Rays and hit .348 with 10 home runs in 56 games in rookie league in 1999. Last year, he hit .301 with 13 homers and 61 RBIs in 96 games in Class A before a minor knee injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. He is a left-handed hitter with power, speed and a strong arm. He is the classic five-tool player, a player any team would love to have. But the Rays see Hamilton for what he is: the future. And you can't rush the future. Unless, of course, you have to. General manager Chuck LaMar, who is inclined to take it slow with his top prospects, says that Hamilton will have to dominate in spring training to make it to the bigs. The 6-foot-4 Hamilton looked dominating enough Tuesday, but coming off the bench Wednesday against the Texas Rangers, he was 0-for-2 with a strikeout. Still, the Rangers are impressed with how Hamilton has handled himself. Last week, he was in a harrowing car accident with his parents -- they travel to all of his games -- but came out virtually unscathed. He is being pounded by many of the hundreds of reporters in Florida covering spring training yet has accommodated just about every request. And he is handling the pressures of being anointed as the team's future with an easiness and a humor of someone years older. "I'm just trying to come out and have fun," he says. "If I do that, everything will work out and I'll have a chance to stay up." Trade rumors continue to swirl around the Devil Rays -- particularly ones involving outfielder Greg Vaughn. It's possible that a trade could force Hamilton into a more prominent role in the franchise's immediate plans. Probably more likely, though, is that Hamilton will start the season at Class AAA. If he's successful there, he could get a call-up during the season. Whatever, Hamilton figures to be in the majors sometime soon. And he looks like he'll be a keeper. "I won't be disappointed [not to make the majors out of spring training], 'cause I don't think I was expected to," Hamilton says. "If I do ... well, that'll be a plus." And if he makes the big club -- when he makes it -- it's a sure bet Hamilton will be ready for it.
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