Rangers sign Josh Hamilton to 2-year contract

Arlington, Texas – The Texas Rangers announced today that the club has signed outfielder Josh Hamilton to a two-year contract through 2012. Hamilton had been the final Texas player eligible for salary arbitration in 2011. Financial terms were not disclosed, per club policy.

Hamilton joins six other Texas players who agreed to terms for 2011 despite being arbitration-eligible: outfielder Nelson Cruz, right-handed pitcher Mark Lowe, outfielder David Murphy, catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli, right-handed pitcher Darren O’Day, and left-handed pitcher C.J. Wilson.

Hamilton, 29, was named the American League Most Valuable Player by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) after batting .359 with 32 home runs and 100 RBI in 2010. He led the major leagues in batting average, slugging percentage (.633), and OPS (1.044). Last year, he became the first American League player with minimums of a .359 average, 40 doubles, 30 home runs, and 100 RBI since the Yankees’ Lou Gehrig in 1934. His .359 batting average was a single-season club record.

He was also voted the Most Valuable Player of the 2010 American League Championship

Series, when the Rangers defeated the Yankees to advance to the first World Series in franchise history. Hamilton batted .350 (7-20) with 4 home runs, a double, 7 RBI, and 8 walks (5 intentional) in the ALCS. His 4 homers in the series matched the all-time LCS record in either league. He became just the third player (fourth instance) to have at least 5 intentional walks in any postseason series dating to 1955.

Hamilton has been elected by fans as an All-Star Game starter for three consecutive years. He has had 32 homers and 100+ RBI in two of his three seasons in Texas (2008 and 2010), one of just eight big league players to have multiple campaigns with those figures from 2008-10. The only other A.L. players to do it are Mark Teixeira (2) and Miguel Cabrera (3). The only other Texas players with multiple seasons of 32+ homers and 100+ RBI were Rafael Palmeiro (6), Juan Gonzalez (6), Mark Teixeira (3), and Alex Rodriguez (3).

Over his three-year career in Texas, Hamilton has averaged 5.20 at-bats per RBI (284 RBI/1478 AB). The 5.20 AB/RBI ratio is the 3rd-best in Rangers history among players with at least 300 games, trailing only Juan Gonzalez (4.61 AB/RBI) and Alex Rodriguez (4.72 AB/RBI).

He won the Players Choice Award for A.L. Outstanding Player and a Louisville Silver Slugger Award in both 2008 and 2010. He was also voted Rangers Player of the Year after each of those two campaigns.

In 2010, Hamilton ranked among A.L. leaders in on-base pct. (2nd, .411), total bases (4th, 328), extra-base hits (5th, 75), home runs (T5th, 32), multi-hit games (T5th, 53), hits (T6th, 186), doubles (12th, 40), runs (12th, 95), and RBI (12th, 100). He established a career high with 40 doubles and tied his career best in homers (32) despite missing nearly four full weeks at the end of September due to injury.

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