Josh Hamilton is not off to the start the Los Angeles Angels had hoped to see from their free agent slugger that they snatched away from the rival Texas Rangers in a sort of under-the-radar fashion.
Presumably, it's not the start Hamilton would have wanted either, but some of his recent comments make you question how much Hamilton actually cares about his performance after signing a 5-year, $125 million deal with the Angels in December when no one else seemed willing to give him more than three years, if that.
"I don't live day to day by those results, which allows me to live a less stressful life,'' Hamilton said to Los Angeles Times columnist T.J. Simers.
Wrong guy to sound disinterested to, apparently.
Simers wrote a scathing column about Hamilton and his general lack of concern with his awful production thus far, as he's hitting just .213 with four homers (all against Houston) and 11 RBIs as the Angels have stumbled out of the blocks and are close to being in last place in the AL West with the only teams with worse records being the Astros and Miami Marlins.
Simers seems to take credit for giving Hamilton some advice, resulting in his home runs on back-to-back nights Wednesday and Thursday. That might be a bit extreme, but he's on to something here. Something Rangers fans have known since last summer, that Hamilton has that demeanor that infuriates the hard-working fan who watches as a millionaire goes out and loafs it with a big grin on his face the whole time.
Not a good start for Hamilton in Anaheim, and can you really be that surprised?
