Photo Credit: USATSI
A lot of young players look to the professional players for tips. Well, Josh Hamilton taught players why you never want to slide head first into first base. In the seventh inning of the Angels game against the Mariners, Hamilton did everything he could to beat out an infield ground ball. He went so far as to slide into first base and ended up tearing a ligament in his thumb.
The Angels have placed the outfielder on the 15 day disabled list just a week into the season. Hamilton admitted it was not a great idea to slide saying, “The news sucks. Anytime you play and you’re playing hard and having fun, the last thing you want to do is do something that is going to cause you to miss time and maybe hurt your team in the long run. If I could see the future, obviously, I wouldn’t do it.”
Hamilton will see a doctor tomorrow to find out if he will need surgery to repair the torn ligament. The Angels have recalled J.B. Shuck from Triple A. Hamilton has struggled since signing a five-year deal with Los Angeles. He suffered a calf injury earlier this year during Spring Training and hit a career-low .250 last season.
