A scorching AL start for Hamilton

You have to wonder what the Cincinnati Reds were thinking.

Josh Hamilton, one of the great stories in baseball last season, who was a No. 1 overall pick yet almost threw all the talent away because of drug abuse, was picked by the Reds in the Rule 5 draft, a move that basically takes no risk at all.

And it seemed to be great fortune. Hamilton then hit .292 with 19 homers in 90 games and played a decent center field. So what did the Reds do? Easy come, easy go - they traded him to Texas for pitching prospect Edinson Volquez.

Now Volqez, 24, could end up being a decent player - but he has a 3-11 career record with a 7.20 ERA in three short stints with the Rangers. And all Hamilton, 26, has done in spring training is roughly .600 and dazzle his teammates with his talent. At one point he reached base in 13 consecutive at-bats.

"From batting practice to the field, it's just amazing," Rangers teammate Marlon Byrd told the Dallas Morning News. "I've never seen a spring like this. You always wonder about players like Vladimir Guerrero and Alex Rodriguez and what it was like seeing them as young players in the spring, and then seeing what they became. If Josh stays on the field 150 to 155 games, there is no reason he shouldn't put up MVP type of numbers."

And make Cincinnati have a big regret. Only time will tell.

Other storylines in Rangers camp:

• Hamilton isn't the only outfielder with a troubled past in camp. Milton Bradley is penciled in as the designated hitter, coming back from the most bizarre injury of 2007, when he tore his ACL while arguing with an umpire.
• The Rangers have a quandary at catcher. Gerald Laird and Jarrod Saltalamacchia are both good enough to start for most big-league teams. Do they send Saltalamachhia to Triple-A so both can play every day?
• The Rangers' decision-makers know that contending this year is a longshot, so patience is being preached.

Photo: Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers hits during a Feb. 28 spring training game in Tempe, Ariz. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)

30 teams in 30 days: Texas Rangers preview.