Texas Rangers team president Nolan Ryan equated Josh Hamilton’s unusual season to unusual circumstances. Ryan spoke with ESPN Radio’s “Galloway and Company” after finishing an end-of-season press conference with the local media on Tuesday. It will likely be the last time team management goes on the record before Hamilton hits the free agent market this winter.

Hamilton has become the poster boy for the Rangers’ collapse this September and October, which saw them surrender their lead in the American League West and lose the AL wild card playoff to Baltimore. Hamilton struck out 18 times in his final 39 at-bats and was booed in his final two at-bats at home.

Hamilton had one of the best two-month stretches in baseball history to start the season, but his numbers trailed off during the summer. He still finished the season with 43 home runs and 128 RBI.

But a tumultuous ride, which included a controversial Sports Illustrated article, an effort to kick a smokeless tobacco habit at midseason, a movie deal, and a strange bout with an eye malady in September eroded some of the goodwill the 2010 AL Most Valuable Player had built up in the Rangers fan base.

Rangers' leaders keep the faith
Ryan hears the perception among some that Hamilton “quit” on the Rangers, but he doesn’t agree.

“I have no reason to believe that,” Ryan said on the radio. “I know some things didn’t go well this season. Only Josh knows what’s in his heart.”

Ryan said that Hamilton is a player that likes the attention he’s received due to his rise from drug addiction to a place among the game’s top players. He also said there are more expectations placed on Hamilton than any other player in the clubhouse.

But he thought that there may have been some things that Hamilton was unprepared for, including the attention that a player receives during his free agency year and the difficulty of trying to cut out his dip habit.

“The timing on the smokeless tobacco couldn’t have been worse,” Ryan said. “You have to think it would make more sense to do that during the offseason. That had an effect on him for probably two months. I would have liked a different approach.”

Rangers manager Ron Washington told ESPN Radio’s “Ben and Skin” that Hamilton’s season did not hurt morale in his clubhouse.

“We’re a group, and we do the best we can,” Washington said. “We didn’t want to be without him [in September], but there were some things that were out of his and our control.”

Hamilton will be the most sought-after free agent on the market this winter. His history will also make him the most scrutinized.

He is expected to seek the type of deal that would pay him in the $20 million-$25 million range per year, which is on par with players like Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez.