Josh Hamilton
Hamilton's 2010 season stands as one of the most electrifying individual campaigns of the 2010s. That .359 average led the American League, while his 1.044 OPS represented a 43 percent improvement over league average. He became just the fourth player since 1990 to hit .359 with 30-plus homers.
The Rangers center fielder's peak was brief but spectacular. His 143 OPS+ that season ranked among the best by any outfielder in the decade, and it came during Texas's first World Series run. Hamilton's combination of contact ability and raw power made him nearly impossible to pitch to when locked in.
What makes his career fascinating is how compressed his excellence was. Despite playing just nine seasons, he accumulated five All-Star selections and an MVP award. His 116 career OPS+ tells the story of a player who was genuinely elite when healthy, even if the sample was smaller than typical superstars.
Career · Batting
9 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | CIN | 90 | 298 | 19 | 47 | .292 | .922 | 122 |
| 2008 | TEX | 156 | 624 | 32 | 130 | .304 | .901 | 120 |
| 2009 | TEX | 89 | 336 | 10 | 54 | .268 | .741 | 99 |
| 2010 | TEX | 133 | 518 | 32 | 100 | .359 | 1.044 | 143 |
| 2011 | TEX | 121 | 487 | 25 | 94 | .298 | .882 | 123 |
| 2012 | TEX | 148 | 562 | 43 | 128 | .285 | .930 | 128 |
| 2013 | LAA | 151 | 576 | 21 | 79 | .250 | .739 | 103 |
| 2014 | LAA | 89 | 338 | 10 | 44 | .263 | .745 | 106 |
| 2015 | TEX | 50 | 170 | 8 | 25 | .253 | .732 | 101 |
| Career | 1027 | 3909 | 200 | 701 | .290 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.