Major League Baseball

Long HRs, 21-game hit streak for patient Hamilton

Published Jun. 28, 2010 10:03 p.m. ET

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Josh Hamilton no longer has a need for Home Run Derby - not during the All-Star break or with impressive pregame batting practice shows.

Oh, he can still hit the ball a long, long way. His 468-foot homer in the Texas Rangers' last game was the second-longest ever hit at their ballpark.

``It looked like it would clear the whole stadium,'' manager Ron Washington said.

That impressive shot against Houston ace Roy Oswalt, landing several rows into the upper deck Sunday night, also extended Hamilton's career-best hitting streak to 21 games. And it was his 47th hit this month, tying a team record.

``At first (this season), I was trying to hit the ball far. That wasn't working too good,'' Hamilton said. ``Now I just try to put the barrel on the ball. I'm working on being more patient, on getting my swing more level.''

With that approach and the elimination of a toe tap from his swing, Hamilton has hit .477 (41 of 86) during a stretch of more than three weeks.

His average was up to .346 and tied for second-best in the majors going into Monday, a day off for the AL West-leading Rangers before a series at the Los Angeles Angels. Hamilton was fifth in 18 home runs and 57 RBIs.

``I've been really impressed with his discipline as far as his routine goes,'' teammate Michael Young said. ``The guy can put on BP shows with the best of them, and he's hitting nothing but line drives up the middle in batting practice right now just trying to really work on his craft. ... It's like he's maturing and growing up.''

Hamilton's hitting surge coincides with a strong push by the Rangers, who are 20-5 in June to build a 4 1/2-game division lead over the Angels. Los Angeles has won five of the last six AL West titles.

The Rangers, who last won the division in 1999, have never been better through 75 games and are only game behind the New York Yankees (47-28) for the majors' best record. Texas is already exactly halfway to team president Nolan Ryan's preseason expectation of 92 victories.

``Any time you get momentum going in a positive direction is good for everybody,'' Hamilton said. ``We're having confidence, playing loose and we're bonding more as a team.''

The 29-year-old Hamilton was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 1999 by Tampa Bay, but is only in his fourth major league season. His career was derailed by his well-documented cocaine and alcohol addictions after getting hurt while in the minors. He has since made quite a comeback personally and professionally.

Hamilton hit .304 with 32 homers and an AL-leading 130 RBIs in his first full season two years ago after the Rangers acquired him from Cincinnati.

There was also his awe-inspiring performance that summer in the Home Run Derby at old Yankee Stadium, where his record 28 homers in the first round included going deep on 13 consecutive pitches.

Hamilton skipped the derby last summer, when he was an All-Star again despite two stints on the disabled list and being limited to 89 games by injuries.

He is virtually assured of being a third-time All-Star next month since he is up to second among AL outfielders in fan voting that ends this week. Hamilton has already said he won't take part in the long-ball exhibition.

With two June games left, Hamilton is tied with Mickey Rivers (August 1980) and Frank Catalanotto (August 2001) for the most hits by a Rangers player in any month.

``When you get in a zone, it means that work you put into it, and the consistency with that work to try to get to this point, is paying off,'' Hamilton said. ``I think it's finally becoming a realization of what I need to do.''

Hamilton went to Young during spring training and asked the longest-tenured Ranger, also a perennial All-Star, how long it took him to settle into a routine of preparation for games and staying on the field.

Young answered ``about four years.'' That is where Hamilton is now.

``The one constant with Josh is the talent and the desire,'' general manager Jon Daniels said. ``This year, he's putting together not just the physical side, but the mental side - the preparation, the approach, the understanding of what guys are going to try to do to do him and how he's going to prepare for that and approach that.

``He's pretty dangerous when he's got both things working together,'' he said.

Vladimir Guerrero responded with a wide smile when asked about Hamilton, who has batted behind him in the order since mid-May. Washington dropped Hamilton from third to fifth after a 1-for-13 series in Toronto that included nine strikeouts.

Hamilton has been so good in the outfield that when David Murphy's relay throw from left field got an Astros runner out at the plate, Washington instinctively congratulated Hamilton instead.

Hamilton's six outfield assists are one off the majors' lead. He made two impressive catches in Sunday's 10-1 win, a running grab in the gap and a sliding catch.

``He's playing both sides of the baseball,'' Washington said. ``He's doing everything that baseball requires for a talent like his.''

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