Hamilton's adjustments paying off | texasrangers.com: News

Hamilton's adjustments paying off | texasrangers.com
Hamilton has a desire for greatness that drives him daily.

"I'm not OK with just being OK," said Hamilton, who was named co-winner of the Bank of America AL Player of the Week Award -- with Rangers righty Colby Lewis - for June 7-13.

He was great in 2008; his magical season when he stole the show at the Home Run Derby and finished at .304 with 32 home runs and a league-leading 130 RBIs. The magic eluded him though in 2009, when injuries piled up and he hit .268 with 10 home runs and 54 RBIs in just 89 games.

Now he strives to find himself in between the two extremes, with the hope of landing far closer to 2008 than last season. The Rangers want to know, too, because he is a free agent after the 2012 season and long-term contract discussions have been tabled while everybody waits to see where Hamilton lands on that scale. READ MORE on Hamilton's new swing.

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Hamilton will not partake in 2010 Home Run Derby

Josh Hamilton (hamstring) is back in the Ranger' lineup Thursday.


Recommended Reading:
Beyond Belief, Finding the Strength to Come Back

WHO'S HOT AND WHO'S NOT

WHO'S HOT  - BATTERS

1. DUSTIN PEDROIA  BOS - Pedroia is hitting .447 over the last 14 days with 13 Runs and 8 RBIs. Owned in 98% of yahoo fantasy leagues.
2. CLIFF PENNINGTON OAK - Currently is hitting .447 with 9 Runs and 1 RBI over the last 14 days. He is only owned by 7% of yahoo fantasy leagues teams. If OF picks up their hitting his RBIs should increase.
3. CARLOS SANTANA – Cleveland’s young star catacher is still only owned by 50% of yahoo fantasy league users. Santana has hit 2 HRS with 10 RBIs and 5 Runs over the last 14 days.
WHOS NOT - BATTERS

1. JOSE BAUTISTA TOR  -  has only 2HR,4RBIs, and 5RUNs over the last 14 days. Bautista is owned by 76% of yahoo fantasy owners. 

2. RYAN ZIMMERMAN WAS – Owned in 97% of yahoo fantasy leagues, Zimmeran only has 2 Runs and 1 HR in the past 14 days while batting .170.
3. KEVIN YOUKILIS BOS – Youkilis is owned in 98% of fantasy leagues. Youkilis is batting .229 of the past 14 days and has 7 RUNs with 7 RBIs.

Other players in current slumps are Andre Either, Lance Berkaman, and Ian Kinsler who are also featured in Thursday’s Yahoo! Sports post Slumpbot.200: Andre Ethier is no Longer Streaking. By using the best technology available today, Slumpbot .200 identifies a few players who are currently having trouble and then offers solutions for recovery.

Andre Either of the Los Angeles Dodgers: On May 14, Andre Ethier was hitting .392/.457/.744 and was leading the league in all three Triple Crown categories. Then he broke his finger and went on the DL for the first time in his career. Since his return, he's hitting .226/.287/.345 with just one homer and six RBIs. 

Lance Berkamn of the Houston Astros on-base percentage looks nice, but his power numbers are awful, especially considering that Minute Maid Park isn't exactly cavernous. His strikeouts are on the rise, too. 

Speaking of injuries, Ian Kinsler has been on the DL five times in his five years in The Show, most recently for an ankle sprain in April. There isn't much wrong with Kinsler's numbers this year on the surface. But his vanished power is very distressing, considering that he's he hit 30 homers last year and has a career SLG of .467, more than 100 points higher than this year. 

READ MORE on Andre Either, Lance Berkman, Ian Kinsler