To less hardcore baseball fans, the name Larry Walker doesn’t carry a lot of clout. If you didn’t see him play or hear numerous, numerous people rave about his immense abilities, his name blends in with a mass of other very good, non-Hall of Famers.

But if you do listen to all of that talk and can appreciate the fact that Walker had once-in-a-generation, five-tool ability, you can appreciate how gifted Texas Rangers center fielder Josh Hamilton is. The reason? Hamilton is raking to start the 2008 season, and he is collecting comparisons to Walker faster than he’s adding to his MLB-leading RBI count.

What both Hamilton and Walker can do is make each aspect of the game look easy. And that is a main reason behind Hamilton’s hot start; he’s been able to make simple adjustments and thrive in different situations. Run production is a recipe involving equal parts opportunity, power and clutch hitting, and Hamilton has done well in all three.

Hamilton’s key production stats so far:

• He has five sacrifice flies, tied for second-most in baseball. He’s capitalizing on easy RBI opportunities, driving in runners from third base with less than two outs.
• Ten of his 16 extra-base hits have come with runners on base. Always easier to rack up big RBIs when you can constantly score runners from first base with shots to the gap.
• He’s been able to change his approach mid-game, from run producer to leadoff man. Hamilton has a .526 on-base percentage, four walks and zero strikeouts in 15 at-bats leading off an inning.
• Pitchers that haven’t gotten two quick strikes have been hurt badly. Hamilton is 14-for-28 this season when the count starts at 1-1.

All this without reaching his massive power potential. Hamilton, while ranking third in the American League in slugging (.581), has yet to flash 40-home run power. The only thing standing between him and that mark is injury, which he struggled with in his 2007 debut with the Reds.

The fantasy spin on Hamilton has not changed since the preseason. We knew what he was capable of doing with good health, and he hasn’t fallen short of expectation. He does remain a threat to miss time at some point in 2008, so avoid relying on his production too heavily. It could be removed from your lineup at any time.

In other skill set news …

Albert Pujols, by many standards of excellence, has been the best all-around hitter in baseball. It doesn’t translate to standard 5×5 fantasy, but no player in baseball comes close to matching his .538 OBP or 28-to-7 walk-to-strikeout mark. Of course, ultimate respect from his opponents - he also leads MLB with seven intentional walks - has been a big factor.

In addition to Hamilton, check out the lack of star power sitting atop the league’s RBI leader board. The first six names you’ll see: Hamilton, Emil Brown, Pat Burrell, Conor Jackson, Mark Reynolds and Xavier Nady.

Same deal for doubles, where Troy Glaus leads all of baseball with 12, followed by Dustin Pedroia, David Murphy and Rafael Furcal with 11.

Cubs rookie Geovany Soto leads all catchers with a .321 batting average, .423 on-base percentage and .966 OPS. He ranks second to Brian McCann with a .544 slugging percentage and second to Russell Martin with 15 walks. How are those for numbers that translate to long-term results?

Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez is making a serious push to become the top player in fantasy baseball this season. He’s on pace for nearly 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases, and he has done it with big-time consistency and a hearty .347 average.

Looks like Brandon Webb will run away with National League Cy Young honors. He has six wins in six starts with a 1.98 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 41.0 innings. Look for the ratios to climb towards 2.80 and 1.20, respectively, but keep close watch on that win total. He could realistically win 25 games, something no pitcher has done since Catfish Hunter and Fergie Jenkins in 1973. (Good stuff by Baseball-Almanac.com).

Other opinions …

Fantasy Baseblog laments the Cubs’ cutting ties with Hamilton after selecting him in last season’s Rule 5 draft.

Fantasy Sports Experience touches on Hamilton’s production in its weekend recap.

Baseball Happenings pools together a collection of sites’ Week 4 voting for National League MVP.

The Hamiltonian is dedicated to one man’s collection of Josh Hamilton cards.

Dustin Hockensmith is editor of ImaginaryDiamond.com. He can be contacted at dhockensmith[at]fantasysports101.net.