Yesterday we learned that the Angels are looking for a shoulder to cry on because Josh Hamilton has been crying about his shoulder. At last check, they were “growing concerned” about his health. Another few days, and they should have advanced through the adolescence of their concern to fully mature grownup concern.
Whatever shall they do without their $125 million clean-up hitter?
Well, they’ll probably just keep on going like they don’t even miss him, because they probably won’t. In 88 games, Hamilton has been fairly useful with a 114 OPS+ and 1.6 WAR. That’s nothing to sneeze at, but it also isn’t a crippling loss. How do we know this? Because the Angels have lost him before, you know, because he’s only played in 88 games, not 144.
Hamilton already missed about two months earlier this year when he injured his thumb on a slide. While he was out, the Angels barely missed their offensive stride. During Josh’s earlier absence, the Halos scored 4.73 runs per game. In all other games, they scored 4.85. That 0.12 runs per game can certainly become the difference between winning and losing a playoff series, but it is also a bit overblown. Lest we forget, that two-month absence of Hamilton’s also coincided with the several weeks that Kole Calhoun missed and with the unfortunate period of the year in which the Angels thought letting Raul Ibanez near a batter’s box was a good idea. Adjust for those factors and it is conceivable that Josh’s contribution to that difference in production is marginal at best.
A big reason for that is the Halos’ quality depth. Collin Cowgill has been a solid offensive producer this year with a 102 OPS+, plus he’s a superior defender at a +10 Defensive Runs Saved and 7.9 UZR while Hamilton is at 0 at 0.3, respectively. That defensive improvement can certainly help cancel out the offensive downgrade of not having Hamilton in the lineup.
Obviously, it would be preferable to have Hamilton, especially against right-handed pitcher, where Cowgill doesn’t hold up as well, but the Angels can survive without him. Heck, they may not have to survive without him. He still has three weeks to get well, or at least get well enough to serve as DH, which actually might be the best of both worlds since it gives the Angels the excuse they need to go with a superior fielder in left field without worrying about Hamilton’s pride or fragile mental approach.
Every team heads into the post-season banged up to some degree, an absent or limited Hamilton would hurt, but only a little bit and other teams are already worse off. There really isn’t a need for all that “concern.”
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