The Angels Outfield Will Be Fine Without Josh Hamilton
- Updated: March 16, 2015
Matt Joyce will see significant time in left field this summer (Image via Twitter)
Now that Josh Hamilton is facing a significant suspension over his violation of Major League Baseball’s drug policy, the Angels must put him in a position to succeed as a human being and recovering addict who had a relapse. That will happen behind closed doors of course, and no writer, newspaper, website, blog, or radio talker can really know what’s happening. The moralizing and generalizations and hand wringing over Hamilton don’t add anything to the conversation, and should be avoided.
On the field is a far different matter for the Angels, though. They are tasked with replacing Hamilton’s production in the lineup for an extended time, and fortunately, they have the pieces to do it.
Matt Joyce would presumably become the starting left fielder after he was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays back in December. At the time, he looked like a solid option at designated hitter and an insurance policy against Hamilton (for injury, not drugs). Now, it’s time for general manager Jerry Dipoto to cash in on that insurance policy and Joyce, a seven-year big league veteran, will be fine in left field.
Behind him, the Angels still have solid depth in the outfield without Hamilton. Collin Cowgill has played parts of the last two seasons in the Angels outfield and while he may never provide enough power or average to be a starter, he has experience at all three outfield positions and can do enough as a utility outfielder who plays fairly solid defense.
Daniel Robertson, acquired this winter in a trade with the Texas Rangers, has proven to be a bit of a rally starter early this spring, and can use his speed to be a good complement to the slower, less athletic Joyce. Robertson appeared in 70 games with the Rangers in 2014, slashing .271/.333/.333 and playing all three outfield positions. He only struck out 14% of the time and walked at an 8.6% rate, so if he can get on base (where he’s stolen 161 career bases in the minor leagues) he can wreak havoc on opponents.
The other depth option already in the organization is Grant Green. Although he’s currently fighting for the second base job, Green has considerable experience in left field. He may find his best bet to hold a roster spot coming as a super utility player; Green has played significant innings at second, third, and left field in his major league career in addition to short stints at shortstop and first base.
If he can prove his value as an I’ll-play-anywhere type of guy, that frees up Josh Rutledge to start at second, and the Angels could then likely retain Taylor Featherston, their Rule 5 Draft pick, to be a utility infielder rather than returning him to the Colorado Rockies.
Granted, the combination of Joyce, Cowgill, Robertson and Green might not be able to produce the same power and lineup protection that a healthy Josh Hamilton would, but I’ve been pessimistic about Hamilton’s career for a while (and well before the drug relapse news came out).
I didn’t expect the Angels to get much from Hamilton (especially relative to his contract) this season or beyond; his production has been far outweighed by his salary for several years already. So, the opportunity to turn over fresh with Joyce, while letting Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun patrol center and left as planned, with Cowgill, Robertson and Green in the wings is an acceptable solution for the Angels.
In retrospect, the acquisitions of both Joyce and Roberston turned out to be even more shrewd moves than the Angels probably could have realized at the time. Both will factor in to the Angels outfield this year, and along with Green, will collectively do enough to help the team without dragging them down offensively or defensively.
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