C.J. Wilson has been very outspoken in supporting Josh Hamilton, whom he played with in Texas before they both signed with the Los Angeles Angels in consecutive years. While the Angels were in Houston for a series against the Astros this week, Wilson was one of several players and coaches who went to visit Hamilton, who has been rehabbing in Texas.
Wilson and others were very encouraged with what they saw.
According to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com, Wilson described Hamilton’s latest relapse as a “tame scenario” compared to the drug and alcohol abuse problems the outfielder had when he first came into the major leagues. Wilson also said Hamilton is “100 percent functional” and “ready to go.”
“It’s my 100-percent opinion that Josh is not a risk to himself or anybody else,” he said. “That’s what I feel having known him for 8 years. That’s the closest thing I can get to a factual opinion.”
Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who had dinner with Hamilton on Wednesday, went into less detail.
“He’s on his way with his physical recovery,” Scioscia said. “He’s getting into more baseball activities and we’ll just see when he’s ready to get out and really get after it and play. We’re not sure yet.”
It’s obvious people are walking on egg shells in the wake of owner Arte Moreno hinting that the team could take legal action against Hamilton. While Wilson may be right about Hamilton’s relapse being “tame” compared to the old days, the alleged details were still pretty disturbing.
David Freese indicated that the Angels have been left in the dark about Hamilton’s future with the team.
“The lack of knowledge that’s going on can be frustrating, because this is a guy we care about,” Freese said. “This is our team. Sooner or later, things will come out and we’ll all know what’s going on and whether he’s coming back with the Angels or he’s not.”
The Angels removed Hamilton from a banner in front of their stadium, but they did the same to Wilson. In all likelihood, the team is exploring ways to recoup money from Hamilton or void his contract altogether. That likely has much more to do with his lack of production than his addiction problems.
