Where will Josh Hamilton sign?

May, 9, 2012

5/09/12

10:45

AM ET

By Jim Bowden | ESPN.com

As I watched Josh Hamilton’s fourth home run leave Camden Yards last night, I couldn’t help but be taken back to Sept. 7, 1993, when Mark Whiten hit four home runs against my Cincinnati Reds. I was 32, a rookie general manager and interim president and had the worst pitching staff during a nightmare season.

Hamilton, on the other hand, is living the dream. He leads the American League in home runs, RBIs and OPS. And the impending free agent soon will be paid handsomely for it. On Tuesday night, he set an American League record with 18 total bases in a single game.

He is arguably one of the most talented players in baseball right now, perhaps second only to Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp. I say that not only because Kemp is younger, but Hamilton’s injury and addiction history hold him back. Despite all the accolades and Herculean feats like last night’s four-home run game, the fact is Hamilton’s past has and will continue to impact any contract negotiations he has with the Texas Rangers or any other team that seeks his services.

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ABOUT THIS BLOG

Jim Bowden

Bowden, who served as the senior vice president and GM for the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Nationals, is an analyst for ESPN.com. In 1992, Bowden became the youngest GM in MLB history when the Reds hired him at age 31. The Reds finished in first place twice during his 10 years as GM, and he was named MLB Executive of the Year by Baseball America in 1999. After working for ESPN in 2004, Bowden became the first GM of the Washington Nationals when the franchise relocated from Montreal to Washington, D.C., in 2005, working in that role until the 2009 season. Bowden co-hosts the "Inside Pitch" radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio. Follow on Twitter: @JimBowdenESPNxm.