September 28, 2008 Josh Hamilton is working on a new batting stance for 2009, according to the Star-Telegram. The change resides in his stride. Instead of sliding his right foot slightly toward the left before he steps into his swing, Hamilton is trying to lift his right foot straight up and down. He said, "I’ve been working on it the last four or five games. I’m trying to keep it simple, so when you get into slump, you don’t have to think about a bunch of different things."
Eliminating the "tap-stepping" is part of trying to make his swing simpler.
Our View:Hamilton holds a solid .306 average with 32 homers and 130 RBI, but has suffered through extended slumps, and is changing his stance in an attempt to improve his consistency.
September 27, 2008 Josh Hamilton drove in his 129th run on Saturday night in the Rangers' 8-4 win over the Angels. With the RBI, Hamilton took back the lead in the RBI race from Justin Morneau.
Our View:After Hamilton's torrid first half he really came back to earth. But it was a breakout year for the outfielder with 32 home runs and 129 RBI.
September 27, 2008 Josh Hamilton went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 12-1 win over the Angels. He hit a single and a solo home run.
Our View:Hamilton ended a 20-game drought without a homer, and now has 32 for the season. He is also two runs away from 100.
September 19, 2008 On a night the Rangers scored 13 runs, Josh Hamilton got away without an RBI. He was 4-for-5 with a run scored.
Our View:He now ranks third in RBI in the AL behind Justin Morneau and Miguel Cabrera. It's certainly been a quiet second half for Hamilton in relation to his first half. However, he is hitting .426 in September with just 7 RBI. That's his highest batting average (by 60 points) of any month and his lowest RBI total by six. Peculiar.
September 12, 2008 Josh Hamilton sustained a bruised foot during battle with Oakland Thursday, and left the game in the eighth inning, according to the SF Chronicle. He went 3-for-4 in the game.
Our View:A bruised foot shouldn't keep him out long. We will keep you posted on his status.
