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"Ron learned a lot last year. He has the same passion for the game. He has the same infectious personality. It was his first year of managing at the big league level, and he learned a lot."
Hamilton is the kind of player who, if healthy, can make Washington -- or any other manager -- look a whole lot smarter than he was before. The trade surprised him, but he appears to have fit into his new surroundings beautifully, and he's perfectly happy where he is.
"I felt wanted in Cincinnati, but with Texas, I feel like I'm a piece of the puzzle they're putting together," he says. "I feel like here I'm needed and wanted at the same time."
The luxury that one year in the bigs has given Hamilton is that, unlike last spring, there's no need for force-feeding to see whether he really can do this. Washington is making sure he gets enough at-bats, but there's no need to play Hamilton every day.
And from the perspective of Hamilton, an imposing 6-feet-4, 235 pounds, there's no longer any reason to be maniacal about his work.
"I was overworking myself in Cincinnati last year," he says. "I was at the park early every day hitting in the cage, then going to early hitting on the field, then batting practice. I was taking 200 swings every day before the game. That's probably why I wound up with the wrist injury later in the year.
"Now, it's more quality than quantity. Your body can only take so much."
This from a man who, after all he's put it through over the past several years, should know the body better than anyone.
The Rangers are thrilled to have him -- especially given the show he has been putting on this spring. Kind of gets the imagination working overtime when dreaming of the coming season.
"To do what he did last year after having three seasons off is just incredible," Young says. "If he stays healthy, the sky's the limit."
The sky, Flagstaff, or whatever other cities happen to be within, say, a few hundred miles of whatever ballpark Hamilton is swinging in on a given night. The way the ball's jumping off of his bat right now, anything seems within reach.
Especially if Hamilton is able to rack up the first goal he has set for himself this season: 500 at-bats.
