ARLINGTON, Texas — Outfielder Josh Hamilton, who was the offensive catalyst for a pair of American League Championship teams, and former City of Arlington Mayor Richard Greene, who was instrumental in the building of Globe Life Park in the early 1990’s, have been selected as the 21st and 22nd members of the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame.
Hamilton and Greene will be inducted prior to the Rangers game with the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, August 17.
The on-field ceremony will begin at approximately 6:50 p.m. with the starting time of the Rangers-Twins game moved from 7:05 to 7:35 p.m.
Hamilton and Greene will be the Rangers Hall of Fame’s first inductees since Michael Young in 2016.
JOSH HAMILTON
Hamilton posted a batting line of .305/.363/.549 with 142 home runs and 506 RBI over five seasons with Texas from 2009-12 after being acquired from Cincinnati in December 2007. In that span, he ranked among the Major League leaders in slugging (5th), RBI (8th), and batting average (10th) and was selected as an A.L. All-Star starter all five years.
In his first season as a Ranger in 2008, Hamilton led the A.L. with 130 RBI and 331 total bases and hit a record 28 home runs in the first round of the All-Star Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium. After appearing in just 89 games in 2009, he was selected as the 2010 American League Most Valuable Player, leading the majors with a club record .359 batting average and a .633 slugging percentage. Hamilton became the first A.L. player since NYY’s Lou Gehrig in 1934 with minimums of a .359 AVG, 40 2B, 30 HR, and 100 RBI. He continued his torrid season by hitting .350 with four homers and seven RBI to earn MVP honors in Texas’ six-game win over the Yankees in the ALCS.
Hamilton produced 25 homers and 94 RBI in just 121 games in 2011 before hitting a career best 43 homers with 128 RBI in 2012. That included the 16th four-homer game in ML history on May 8, 2012 at Baltimore when he also set A.L. records with five extra base hits and 18 total bases.
Reacquired from the Los Angeles Angels in April 2015, he appeared in 50 games for the A.L. West Division champion Rangers despite a left knee injury that would end his career. Overall, Hamilton ranks third in club history with a .542 slugging percentage and .901 OPS and is 9th with a .302 batting average among players with at least 300 games. He was two-time Rangers Player of the Year (2008 and 2010) and won three A.L. Silver Slugger Awards (2008, 2010, 2012).
Overall, Hamilton had a .290 average with 200 homers and 701 RBI in 1027 games with Cincinnati (2007), Texas (2008-12; 2015), and the Los Angeles Angels (2013-14).
RICHARD GREENE
During his tenure as Mayor of Arlington from 1987-97, Greene played a major role in the Texas Rangers effort to build a ballpark to replace Arlington Stadium and thus keep the team in Arlington. After several months of discussions with the Rangers’ ownership group led by George W. Bush, Edward “Rusty” Rose, and Tom Schieffer, the ballclub and City of Arlington announced an agreement to build the new facility on October 24, 1990. The public financing for the project was derived from $135 million in bonds to be paid from a one-half cent City of Arlington sales tax that was approved by a 65 percent majority in a special city election on January 19, 1991. Mayor Greene worked closely with Schieffer, who became President of the Rangers in 1991 and was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2014, during the design and construction of The Ballpark in Arlington, which opened on time and on budget in April 1994.
Since leaving office, Greene has remained involved with the Rangers organization for many years. In November 2018, Rangers were the recipient of Major League Baseball’s highest community award, the Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence. The honor recognized the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation’s efforts to support Arlington youth through the Texas Rangers Richard Greene Scholars program.
Now in its 23rd year of operation, the Richard Greene Scholars program has provided more than $1.2 million in college scholarships to 126 Arlington high school students. In addition to financial aid, the Texas Rangers Richard Greene Scholars program has become a cornerstone leadership development program in Arlington by engaging recipients with local civic and business communities. Local leaders and organizations collaborate to operate the program, including the Arlington Independent School District (AISD), the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, the City of Arlington, the Texas Rangers and the Rangers Baseball Foundation, and several other civic partners. Additionally, Richard Greene Scholars participate in a rigorous local internship program and are mentored by leaders within the Arlington community.
Many of the Scholars, including those who are first-generation Americans, are the first in their families to attend college. Mentors, as well as members of the Rangers staff, help navigate the potential challenges and concerns of campus life, including working with financial aid offices and other day-to-day issues. Mayor Greene and his wife, Sylvia, also work directly with each Scholar and continue to mentor beyond graduation. Texas Rangers Richard Greene Scholars have attended universities throughout Texas and the United States, including prestigious Ivy League institutions such as Harvard, Brown, Stanford and Columbia. Scholars have established notable professional careers in a variety of fields, including as military officers, doctors, nurses, attorneys and engineers.
