- Josh Hamilton – Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY
The loss of Josh Hamilton to the Angels lineup could be a big blow, but it may not be as bad as people think.
In the off-season the Angels sent Kevin Jepsen to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Matt Joyce.
On Tuesday, Alden Gonzalez, Angles beat writer and columnist for mlb.com, felt that Joyce would be a good replacement while Hamilton is out.
Now if you compare both players, Hamilton by far is the better ball player, but he hasn’t had a great season at the plate since the 2012 season when he hit .285 with 43 home runs and 128 RBI’s. In 2013, he had a good year batting .250, with 21 home runs and 79 RBI’s, but in 2014, he missed 6-8 weeks after injuring his thumb and only appeared in 89 games batting just .263, with 10 home runs and 44 RBI’s.
Matt Joyce – MLB.com
Joyce for his time in the majors, he has been consistent batting around .250, and averging at least 17 home runs in three of his last four seasons. In 2014 he appeared in 140 games and batted .254, but hit only nine home runs while driving in 52 runs.
Now with Hamilton’s status unknown due to his latest bout with drug use, Matt Joyce and Kole Calhoun, could get the bulk of the time in the outfield. Last season, Calhoun in 127 games, batted .272, with 17 home runs and 58 RBI’s.
It has been reported that Major League Baseball is considering a viable punishment for Hamilton, of at least 25 games, but less than a full season. I would hope that Hamilton gets the help that he needs before he attempts a comeback, and until that happens, the Angels trade for Joyce may have been something of a saving grace for the club.
David Conde
David is the Co-Founder and Executive Editor of Legends On Deck®, as well as a Co-Host on Legends On Deck Podcast. David was a Senior Editor for MetsMerizedOnline.com, MetsMinors.net and Contributor for Hardballchat.com that spanned from 2010 to 2014. David made his MLB Debut as a writer in June 2014, while covering the NY Mets at Citi Field, for MetsmerizedOnline.com. David also coaches baseball for ages 13-15, a Babe Ruth League team in his local community. David's passion is coaching the game he loves to the future Legends of Tomorrow as well as making available a website that people can have fun sharing and reading. David is also passionate about his career as a Mortgage Loan Officer which allows him to help many families reach their dreams of owning a home. Connect with David via his Social Media pages as he loves to chat all about baseball.
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