ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Devil Rays outfielder Josh Hamilton was suspended for the 2004 season for violating baseball's
drug policy.
Hamilton, the first pick in the 1999 amateur draft, already had
been given a 30-day suspension on Feb. 17. Under the new suspension
announced Friday, he isn't eligible for reinstatement until spring
training next year, the commissioner's office said.
Hamilton hasn't played since July 2002 because of injuries and
unspecified personal issues.
He received a $3.96 million signing bonus out of high school. In
251 minor league games, he's hit .295 with 33 homers and 166 RBI.
"All we can do is hope that Josh Hamilton will be ready to
participate in our 2005 spring training," Devil Rays general
manager Chuck Lamar said. "We all know the God-given baseball
talent that he has. ... Hopefully, he can fulfill his dream of
playing in the major leagues."
Hamilton last played July 10, 2002, for Class A Bakersfield.
Last year, he took six weeks off for personal reasons during spring
training and later was granted permission to leave the organization
for the rest of the season to handle unspecified personal problems.
When he reported to Double-A Orlando on May 3, Hamilton said
that during the leave he took in spring training he sought
counseling for depression caused by a serious illness in his
family.
According to the rules of baseball's drug program, a major
league player must test positive at least twice for drugs of abuse
before being suspended, with drugs of abuse subject to suspension
defined as a group that includes cocaine, LSD, opiates, Ecstasy,
the "date rape" drug GHB and PCP.
Players who fail to comply with their treatment program a second
time can be suspended for 25-to-50 days. Players who fail to comply
a fourth time can be suspended for at least one year. A fifth
failure results in additional discipline by the commissioner.
Tests for drugs of abuse are conducted only if the joint
management-union health policy advisory committee determines there
is reasonable cause.
Labeled as a can't-miss prospect when he became the first high
school player drafted No. 1 overall since Alex Rodriguez, Hamilton
told the St. Petersburg Times in January that he was ready to
resume his career.
He declined to discuss the personal problems that sidelined him
in 2003, but sounded confident about his chances of bouncing back
strong.