In freaky way, Josh is the Rangers' Natural

Having faced him in the other league a year ago, Texas Rangers pitcher Jason Jennings provided a spring training description of Josh Hamilton that was a blunt compliment:

"Freak of nature."

That quote quickly achieved national media legs.

Six weeks into the regular season, however, and you can also say this about Hamilton:

"Freak of natural."

I don't do mathematical research, but the numbers guys tell me that, thus far, the major league power numbers, particularly in the muscle crazy American League, have taken a staggering dip. Since the long ball sells tickets, some even call it an alarming decline when compared with just two years ago.

Oh, yeah. One other thing from our number geeks:

Pitchers suddenly aren't throwing with the same velocity.

Now, if I have to explain this, you obviously haven't been paying attention the past five years, and you also didn't read Jose's book, and you never double-dated with Roger Clemens.

It may take a few years, maybe a few decades, for the public to believe that God, genes and Gold's Gym are solely responsible when exceptional talent is on display in the majors.

But Hamilton showed up in Arlington this season, and I don't think it's too early to label him as the best overall talent in the Rangers' 36-plus years. Where it all eventually leads, we'll see. But I'm talking pure talent here. The sacred five-tool skills.

This we also know about those five tools: It's clean stuff, or as clean as drug testing allows any player in any sport to be these days.

Just an estimation, but no one playing any game is "tested" more than Hamilton. Three times a week, like clockwork, he must pause to whiz in a cup, and do whatever else it takes to prove he's using nothing stronger than sunflower seeds.

If I have to explain this, you obviously haven't been paying attention to a remarkable/disastrous young life that Hamilton is now attempting to reclaim.

But this morning's body of work is strictly about baseball, and I'll detail in a minute why I even mentioned the other stuff.

First, however, there's some praise for Jon Daniels. (What? You're shocked? But I can be fair and biased on the subject of Jon Boy. Kinda.)

Trading away young pitchers who come back to haunt is Daniels' ongoing nightmare. So, what should we make of Edinson Volquez, who is now 6-1 and leading the National League in ERA (1.12) and Ks (57)? By the way, he's doing this for the last-place Reds.

I say excellent trade by Daniels. Because he got Hamilton for Volquez, meaning it was also an excellent trade for former Reds GM Wayne Krivsky.

What's wrong with both teams benefitting in a deal? And what we also have here is the best kind of baseball argument.

Although no one thought it last winter, the early season situation comes down to a stud young pitcher having being dealt for a stud young player. How do you measure it, particularly for a pitching-starved organization like the Rangers?

If it's a talent like Hamilton (now leading the majors in RBI, with also eight homers, and among the league's tops in all slugging categories), then the Rangers benefit the most. Hamilton is on the field daily. Volquez every fifth day.

Plus, Hamilton plays the vital position of center field, and we see him two to three times a week saving pitchers with his defensive skills. We also saw him Wednesday afternoon still attempting to adjust to The Ballpark's infamous black-hole effect in center. Picking up the ball off the bat has been a struggle for years, particularly in day games, but also at night.

Josh "lost" a line drive that sailed over his head, proving costly in what would be a 4-3 defeat to Seattle in 12 innings.

As with everything else, Hamilton is still in the seasoning process. But the game of baseball is also in another kind of process, with many of the game's hierarchy now taking note of this year's declining power numbers.

Not everyone agrees with the "enhancement backlash" theory (the weaker National League offensive numbers are about even), but...

Five years ago, there was no testing. Now, baseball has the most rigid in sports, plus penalties that are the most stiff. The power hitters in the game we once knew as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and others are no longer welcome.

In these new times, a power hitter and a run producer who can ace the whiz exam, plus pass the other drug tests, will see his value doubled, or even tripled. The 30-homer guy who gives you 100 RBI will suddenly return to a previous status in the game. They become a priceless commodity.

OK, I can also tolerate the flip side of the Hamilton- Volquez argument, because it's valid. Former Rangers closer Coco Cordero, now a teammate of Volquez in Cincinnati, told ESPN.com last week that the Rangers, of all teams, cannot trade young pitchers because free-agent hurlers want no part of The Ballpark. Development is the only way here. Coco is basically right.

Then again, the local yard also plays right into Hamilton's left-handed hitting strengths. Remember, he's only in his second major league season and he changed leagues, now facing new pitchers. His home numbers are good (over half his 13 doubles with seven, five of his eight homers, 27 of his 44 RBI, and a .341 batting average), but it could be that we ain't seen nothing yet.

Once the summertime heat hits, and the Tequila Club jet stream to right cranks up nightly, that's when the ball really jumps in Arlington.

We are talking here about a freak of nature, and the testing tells us he's also a freak of natural in a game attempting to weed out those who are artificially fueled.

No matter how good Volquez is going, I'm with you on this one, Jon Boy.

Randy Galloway can be heard from 3-6 p.m. weekdays on Galloway & Co. on ESPN/103.3 FM.