Beating the devil

Once-troubled Rays prospect Josh Hamilton is in Reds camp with a good chance to make the team — and with a faith-based support system behind him that he and the team say will protect him from temptation.

By MARC TOPKIN
Published February 19, 2007

SARASOTA

He looks good. Strong. Athletic. Confident. And comfortable, toting a bat, swapping fishing tales, gliding through the clubhouse in his socks.   

But different, too, the C a scarlet letter on the front of his bright red jersey.  

“Is it weird?” Josh Hamilton asks. “I like it.” 

The hue isn’t all that is new.  

Once the Devil Rays’ too-good-to-be-true No. 1 draft pick  then the tattooed wild child with an addiction to drugs that nearly ended his career and  his life, Hamilton’s longshot comeback bid has been rapidly accelerated with the Reds, who are giving him a legit shot this spring to make their big-league team.

What had been a story of innocent glory and dramatic disgrace has now become a gospel of faith. The faith Hamilton and Reds manager Jerry Narron have in each other, based on longtime family relationships, and the deep Christian faith they share.

“I’ve got people here backing me up not only in baseball but in my faith, and it means a lot,” Hamilton said. “I’ve got a huge support system here.

People know my situation … and they’ve told me anything they can do for me, let them know. It feels good to know that people actually want you to do well.

They want to see me do well on the field, but they definitely want to see me be a responsible man and be a good family man. And all the rest will take care of itself.”

Despite all the time, money and heartache the Rays invested in him, Hamilton said he is in a better place. The Rays did “a great job” supporting him but he said it’s “good to know that people in this organization are not afraid to tell you how they feel about off-the-field things.

“Tampa Bay genuinely cared about me, but since I’ve been here it’s been expressed so much more. It feels good to have people here who want you here. I know Tampa Bay wanted me there, but it just feels good here.”

Hamilton has to prove himself personally and professionally. After missing nearly four full seasons until being reinstated last summer, and playing only 15 games at the rookie level before being sidelined by a minor knee injury, Hamilton, 25, has about five weeks to show he can handle the jump to the majors.

In informal workouts, Narron said he has already seen the bat speed, arm, running ability and work ethic that made Hamilton such a special talent. “I know if anybody can get this done, we can get this thing done together,” Narron said.

Making the team would be just part of the journey. Life in the big leagues could be fraught with peril, the temptations magnified by having money, privilege and lots of free time.

The Reds are planning plenty of help — what Narron called “sincere support, not just to see what we can do baseball-wise” — starting with the hiring of Narron’s brother, Johnny, who has known Hamilton since his youth league days in North Carolina.

Johnny Narron technically will assist in video operations and administrative duties, but his primary responsibility seems clearly to look after Hamilton, as he already is driving him to and from workouts.

“Josh will know where I am, and I will know where Josh is,” Johnny Narron said. “The first thing Josh and I have is a strong trust in the Lord and then in each other. That’s a big part. You can have people tell you they care about you and have your best interests in heart, but he genuinely trusts me and knows that my interest in him is genuine.”

There will be specific rules to limit the temptations, such as Hamilton not carrying much cash, not having his own car in spring training and having his wife, Katie,  taking around half the road trips.

“It’s not that I need to be babysat, but it’s just things I need put in place to make sure I can do it,” Hamilton said.

“To not be tempted. I trust myself, but at the same time I want that in place.”

He said he has been sober since Oct. 6, 2005, and can maintain it no matter what situations he faces, such as teammates drinking in front of him. When listing his priorities, he says he now has dropped Recovery a slot to third, behind God and Family.

“I know there’s temptations,” he said. “The devil’s going to come at me hard. I don’t know from where yet. But we’ll handle it when it comes.”

Hamilton is excited by the opportunity and confident but is refusing to be overwhelmed, citing God’s will.

Because he was acquired through the Rule 5 draft — when the Rays gambled by not putting him on their 40-man roster — the Reds are required to keep him in the big leagues all season.

If not, he has to be offered first, under the same provisions, on waivers to all teams. If unclaimed, he would be offered back to the Rays, where many people are pulling for him to succeed.

But he could have the right to  become a free agent and said Monday he didn’t know if he’d be willing to go back to the Rays: “Just say I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”

The journey seems never-ending.

Marc Topkin can be reached at topkin@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8801. View his blog at blogs.tampabay.com/rays/.

[Last modified February 19, 2007, 23:20:31]