Josh Hamilton wins Rookie of the Month

[Who-Dey_Show]

[url="http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070502&content_id=1942961&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin"]http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/articl...sp&c_id=cin[/url]

Well on his way to Rookie of the Year!!!!!!! Go Reds!!

[bengals4ever]

[The Entertainer]

[quote][size=3][b]Hamilton ready for more[/b]
Rookie outfielder has had fast start, but vows to 'not try to do too much'[/size]
BY JOHN FAY | JFAY@ENQUIRER.COM


HOUSTON - Josh Hamilton had been told five minutes earlier that he had been named National League Rookie of the Month for April, but he already was thinking about what to do as an encore.

"The last four or five games against lefties, I've been doing well," he said. "That's because I've been bearing down hard. But against righties, I expect to see the ball well. I've been getting too aggressive and swinging at balls out of the strike zone.

"I have to calm down and not try to do too much."

That, more than anything, has been Hamilton's formula for success in his brief time in the majors: He hits to the opposite field. He takes pitches that are just out of the strike zone.

If he continues to do that, Reds manager Jerry Narron sees no reason Hamilton won't be able to keep up his level of play.

"As long as he keeps the plate discipline, he's got a chance for it to continue," Narron said. "To me, that's the biggest part of it - he hasn't chased pitches out of the zone."

Hamilton, who the Reds got through the Rule 5 draft, has exceeded all expectations.

"It's been amazing," Narron said.

Tuesday's game was typical for Hamilton. He grounded out in the first at-bat, pushing his hitless streak to eight at-bats - his longest drought of the season. But he was hit by a pitch his second time up, singled in a run the third time up and walked the fourth. For the night, he reached base three times in six plate appearances, getting his on-base percentage up to .375. He went 0-for-3 Wednesday.

"I've said it from Day 1 of spring training that there's going to be some ups and downs," Narron said. "There haven't been a whole lot of downs. It's possible that he can continue it."

But as a lot of the players playing in majors for first time find out, it's a long, long season.

"I really believe the most difficult part of this thing is going to be the mental part of it, playing every day or playing a great deal, never really going through that before," Narron said. "It's an understatement to say he hasn't seen anything close to the type of pitching he's seen."

The one luxury the Reds have is they can pick their spots with Hamilton.

"But, having four outfielders, we should be able to give everyone a bit of a break," Narron said.[/quote]



[url="http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070503/SPT04/705030356/1071/SPT"]Enquirer.com[/url]

[sm00th_kw]

Nice to see him get back on track with a single last night, he was slumping of late....AVG down to the .250's.