Hamilton Sidelined 6-8 Weeks

I know what you're thinking. Good thing Hamilton wasn't playing center field Tuesday afternoon or this would've happened weeks (err...days) ago! At any rate, this proves that taking someone out of center field not only doesn't reduce the risk of injuries to an all-out player like Hamilton, it may actually make them occur sooner! (I know you think that's ridiculous, but the evidence is in my favor.)

Josh fractured his right shoulder sliding head first into home plate on a good call by third base coach Dave Anderson to send Hamilton. Home plate was vacated with Josh on third when a foul popped up near third base. Josh tried tagging on the play with no one covering home, but was beat in a foot race by Detroit catcher, Victor Martinez.

Hamilton's 6-8 week injury within the first two weeks of opening day is sure to get some frazzled and diving headfirst off the bandwagon before it's too late to jump on with another team. (See Anthony Castrovince's article hosted by MLB.com) But hear me out a minute before you go jumping ship. Pun intended.

The Ranger's replacement outfielder is David Murphy, a left handed hitter with the potential to launch 30-40 homeruns in a season given the proper playing time. As I've said before, Murphy is a starter on 26 or 27 other clubs, but due to the depth the Rangers have, Murphy is a backup here. What you're replacing Josh Hamilton's .333 average, 0 home runs, and 7 rbis with at this point in the season is a guy who has a greater than .280 career average over 6 seasons including a .313, 1 homer, 3 rbi start to 2011 in David Murphy. Murph is a fan favorite, and I expect him to drill the ball in replacement for Hamilton, just like he did last season filling in when Hamilton broke his rib in the outfield.

The other positive to take from this for Ranger's fans is the opportunity for Chris Davis to play in the big leagues after astronomical spring training numbers made solid competition for Mitch Moreland as the starting first baseman. Mitch won the job thanks to even better numbers in the spring, although Davis certainly had the numbers to make the team, and increased his trade value tremendously. I'm looking for Davis to get back to his 2008 form when he slugged 17 home runs in just 80 games, and hit a career best .285 in his rookie campaign.

The Rangers are going to be fine. There is no need to panic. Injuries happen to every team, every season, and one player does not make or break a playoff race.