Josh Hamilton, whose late-season slump helped sink the Texas Rangers' pursuit of an American League West crown, landing them in a one-game playoff that they lost to the Baltimore Orioles, blamed his struggles on quitting chewing tobacco.
The outfielder said he was going through withdrawals that affected him at the plate. In 2013, after signing a massive deal with the Los Angeles Angels, he has failed to justify his pay, batting just .226 with 11 home runs and 31 RBI. He also said that he began drinking lots of caffeine, to replace the tobacco, which caused vision problems.
When I stopped dipping, I didn't realize I was drinking more coffee," Hamilton said last winter. "I'd have an energy drink before a game and a Mountain Dew after it. My caffeine intake went way up. I was overstimulated."
Recently, however, he's resembled the Hamilton of old. In the last seven days, Hamilton is hitting .357 with a home run and three RBI, while slugging .714. Over the last two weeks, the numbers are even better: .400, one home run, six RBI, nine runs scored.
But cameras caught something interesting during this hot streak-Hamilton spitting a black liquid out of his mouth. Speculation is now rampant that Hamilton's surge could be coinciding with a fall off the wagon regarding his tobacco addiction. Normally, a ballplayer chewing tobacco would not be anything noteworthy, but Hamilton's story isn't normal.
As a highly-touted prospect, Hamilton was out of baseball for two years as he battled addictions to cocaine and heroin. He has found religion since then and has personal assistants helping him stay on the straight and narrow.
Hamilton seemed irked by questions about the chewing tobacco, saying to reporters, "I don't know what you're talking about. It could be anything. It could be one of those protein bars. Is this really a story?"
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