After a stellar 2010 season, and despite a significant amount of time on the disabled list from a rib fracture that made him miss most of September, Josh Hamilton has been named today as the American League MVP. 2010 was Hamilton’s third year with the Texas Rangers; in December 2007, he was traded from the Cincinnati Reds to Texas. He received 22 of 28 first-place votes to win the award.

Josh’s story is well-known throughout the country. The first overall pick of by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 1999 Amateur Draft, Hamilton seemed destined for stardom. His course was run off-track early in his professional career, however, when drug and alcohol addiction nearly destroyed Hamilton’s life. He was suspended from baseball in 2004, and did not play again until 2007, when he was picked by the Chicago Cubs in the Rule 5 draft. Overcoming his addiction through faith in Jesus Christ is his main focus, and Josh is quick to pronounce his love of the Lord over his own personal accomplishments, as many saw in both the 2008 Home Run Derby and the 2010 ALCS.

In 2010, Josh Hamilton was selected to start in the All-Star Game, going in to the All-Star Break with a batting average of .346. He ended the season with the league-leading .359 average, which won Josh his first batting title. Despite missing 29 games due to the ribcage injury, he amassed 32 homeruns and over 100 RBI’s. His incredible year helped propel the Texas Rangers into and through the playoffs and into the World Series for the first time in franchise history.

Other awards for the 2010 season include the ALCS MVP and the AL Players’ Choice Outstanding Player.

Runners-up for the award were the Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera and the Yankees’ Robinson Cano, finishing second and third respectively in the balloting.

Congratulations to Josh Hamilton for this incredible achievement.

Corollary – When hearing the news of the AL MVP selection, Derek Jeter may or may not have been overheard saying, “What about me?” Allegedly.