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Baseball America's Top 20 Major League Rookies

Josh Hamilton

Josh Hamilton comes in at number 14:

14. Josh Hamilton, cf, 26, Reds
AVG: .286 OBP: .376 SLG: .563 AB: 245 HR: 17 2B: 13 SB: 3/6

Though Hamilton's been limited to just 37 at-bats since the All-Star break because of a wrist injury, he's batted .324/.405/.676 in that span.

Hamilton is behind a couple of guys who I think he could have leapfrogged (Delmon Young, Reggie Willitis, Chris Young arguably), but ultimately I think his injuries hold him back on a list like this. A line of .286/.376/.563 from a guy who had previously barely played above single A.

Ultimately I think it's going to come down to how healthy Hamilton can be, and if he can play 140+ games a year then he'll be giving the Reds quite a bit of payroll flexibility for the next five years.