Which is a better story? Options

[Oasis]

Josh Hamilton vs. Rick Ankiel.

Hamilton went #1 overall to the Devil Rays in 1999 and Ankiel was drafted fifth (and given, at the time, the largest signing bonus in history) by the Cards in 1997. Both took a wild and unconventional ride to stardom in 2007

Hamilton tore up the minors his first year, but in 2000 he started to have injury problems. Injuries slowed him down and in in 2002, tested positive for cocaine and heroin and was suspended. From 2002-2005, he was in and out of drug rehab 8 times, attempted suicide three times, and was out of baseball. He finally kicked his drug habit in October of 2005, and in 2006 was reinstated by the MLB. He ended up playing in about 15 minor league games for an independent league in 06 before suffering a season ending injury. In 2007, he finally got to make his big league debut with the Reds (how he ended up with the Reds is irrelevant and I'm too lazy to explain. Look it up). If not for one of the best offensive rookie seasons in baseball history by Ryan Braun, Hamilton would have probably been Rookie of the Year. He was traded to Texas in the offseason and is currently leading the league in most offensive categories and has a realistic shot at winning the Triple Crown.

Ankiel took a different path to stardom. In 1999 he was arguably the best pitcher in the minor leagues. Unlike Hamilton, he actually got a chance with the Cardinals and was a great pitcher in 1999 and 2000. But control problems and psychological issues caught up with him and he was sent down. After several years of struggling with command and never making it back up to the bigs, he abandoned pitching and tried to make it as a hitter in 2005. Two years later in 2007, he finally made it back to St Louis as a power hitting, rifle armed centerfielder. He's now one of the best hitters in the game and plays Gold Glove defense in CF


Although both stories are pretty incredible, I think Hamilton's is better. For anyone who's struggled with addiction or depression, you know how difficult it is to overcome. Not to mention the added pressure of being called the "biggest bust in major league draft history." For those of you too young to remember, Hamilton was the most hyped draft prospect since Arod. For years, he was the laughingstock of baseball and the poster boy for how not to live your life. He overcame it all and he's now the superstar everyone thought he'd be....It just came 8 years after everyone expected