Second chance

Josh Hamilton is hoping a changed life will revive his once-promising baseball career | John Dawson

The first days of spring training spark an optimism where all things seem possible. Josh Hamilton's optimism comes from another source: "God's grace got me to where I am today." Hamilton today is at the Cincinnati Reds spring training camp. Hamilton 17 months ago was at a place from which few return.

Years ago, Josh Hamilton was the "can't miss" prospect—a high-schooler so talented the Tampa Bay Devil Rays spent the first pick in the entire 1999 draft to snatch him up over other highly touted prospects like Josh Beckett and Barry Zito. On the mound, Hamilton's 96 mph fastball made him an elite pitching prospect. But it was his bat that made scouts salivate. The Devil Rays eyed him as an outfield prospect for the ages.

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March 17, 2007, Vol. 22, No. 10

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