"Didn’t he beat his daughter?" - Fans recall assault charges as Rangers honor Josh Hamilton with HOF blue jacket

The Texas Rangers welcomed former hero Josh Hamilton to Globe Life Field on Saturday ahead of their clash against the Philadelphia Phillies. The former outfielder received his Hall of Fame blue jacket from the franchise and threw the ceremonial pitch.

The Rangers inducted Hamilton into the Hall of Fame in 2019, but the franchise has faced backlash from fans after honoring the former American League MVP on Saturday.

Several fans commented about Hamilton's past troubles, which included a felony indictment of the former All-Star for allegedly assaulting his teenage daughter in 2020.

"Didn't he beat his daughter?" a man wrote.

"Bro beats his daughter," another wrote.

"Imagine if he stayed clean, would've made the baseball HOF," a fan posted.

The backlash continued.

"He hits little girls, just saying," a fan posted.

"Painfully on brand for the Rangers to celebrate a child abuser before ever hosting a Pride night," a fan wrote.

"Worst move, child abuser, really? I mean all the respect for his career stuff but that case was crazy bro," another fan wrote.

Hamilton allegedly threw a bottle at his 14-year-old daughter in September 2019 after her comment had angered him. The former Rangers outfielder denied the felony charges but later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in 2022.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy acknowledged Josh Hamilton's talent

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy reflected on the special ceremony for Josh Hamilton on Saturday. Although the veteran manager never managed Hamilton, Bochy knew about him from his high school days as his brother scouted the All-Star outfielder at Athens Drive High School.

“It was just incredible the talent he had,” Bochy said. "I mean, all facets of the game — defense, offense, there was nothing he couldn’t do. Incredible power, just an amazing athlete. When you look at the No. 1 picks of the last 30 or 40 years, it’s hard to say anyone had more talent than he had.”

Considered one of the best prospects in the country, the Tampa Bay Rays drafted Josh Hamilton in the 1999 MLB draft. He gained recognition for his five-year stint with the Rangers from 2008 to 2012, earning five consecutive All-Star nods along with AL MVP and ALCS MVP titles in 2010 to help Texas to the World Series.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash