New Reds manager Dusty Baker let Narron go as a Reds employee shortly after Baker was hired, which in hindsight was a sign. But Hamilton still was one of many around the league who were surprised when he was dealt.

The Reds had a glut of outfielders, but none like Hamilton, who's young, an uber-talent and tied by the CBA to his team for five more years. Ken Griffey Jr. is getting toward the end of his Hall-of-Fame career and Adam Dunn is in the final year of his contract.

Reds people say Hamilton's prior drug problems weren't part of the trade equation. What they say they worried about was that Hamilton couldn't stay healthy. He went on the disabled list twice last season and experienced shin splits, wrist pain, a hamstring injury and gastritis in his comeback year.

They say that's what led the pitching-poor Reds to trade Hamilton for Volquez, a talented right hander who the Rangers tried to keep out of the deal. Volquez is having a superior camp and may make their rotation after five shutout innings against the Phillies Sunday. But the Reds still have to know the gamble they took.

If Hamilton stays healthy and grounded, he could be a superstar.

The Rangers say Hamilton is a Larry Walker/Jim Edmonds combo. He is surely their greatest talent since two-time MVP Gonzalez, but with more varied skills. Hamilton is an excellent center fielder as well as having superior power and speed, and a strong arm.

That he was once a No. 1 overall pick, ahead of Josh Beckett, tells you what you need to know about how far he had fallen. "I'm in awe of him ability-wise,'' said Michael Young, himself a four-time All-Star. "More than anything, we just want to be there for him, to help him out. It's a cliché, but the sky's the limit for this guy.''

Rangers pitcher Jason Jennings told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that Hamilton's a "freak of nature.''

And Rangers manager Ron Washington said, "For having all the skills, I never saw one like Josh.''

Hamilton routinely amazes scouts and other players. And Hamilton amazes himself sometimes, too. The part that amazes him is that he is the same player he was before he was ordered away for three years, with one minor difference.

"It's weird, because when I was suspended I wasn't working on my skills. I used to be a center field-to-right field pull hitter. But when I came back I was a center field-to-left field hitter. That's strange because that's what you'd have to work on most to change,'' Hamilton says.

"God allowed me to keep my abilities for some reason. I'm here for a reason. It's not just baseball, it's for sharing a story about what I've been through.''

And what a story it is already. Although, if this keeps up, it will gets even better.

Around the Camps

• The Phillies are believed to be seeking another pitcher. If they're not quite desperate, they should be.

• The Rays, the team that denied for years that it had too many outfielders, now has too few. They traded Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes this winter, and now, with Rocco Baldelli suffering from fatigue and questionable for the year, they're in the market for an outfielder.

• "The Braves' young players look really good,'' one scout said, speaking of Yunel Escobar, Brian McCann, Jeff Francoeur and Kelly Johnson.

• Right hander Jair Jurrjens, who came to Atlanta for Edgar Renteria, also is impressing scouts. "He has a great arm, but he isn't quite ready,'' one scout said.

• Hardly anyone believes Andre Ethier should be a backup. The Dodgers should either play him ahead of Juan Pierre or trade him. "[Ethier's] a very good player,'' said the GM of a competing team.

• Eugenio Velez has provided a modicum of excitement in Giants camp. He'll have to make the team (as a utilityman) since there isn't much else to get excited about there. "He's a Willie McGee type,'' according to one Giants person, speaking of Velez's speed and hitting abilities.

• Nate Schierholtz and Dan Ortmier are supposed to be the Giants' top hitting prospects, but Ortmaier is having a rough spring and may force the team to use Rich Aurilia more than they planned at first base (when that happens, Kevin Frandsen would play third), and Schierholtz appears likely to be beaten out in the outfield by Rajai Davis and Fred Lewis.

• Juan Gone may be coming back. It's still uncertain whether he'll make the Cardinals, but he's 8-for-26 and might provide added power if Albert Pujols' elbow problem flares up. Pujols "has looked great'' according to a scout, and has four home runs and is batting .368. "You can't tell he's hurt.''

• They go all the way to China to play a tie game. Dodgers 3, Padres 3 had to really thrill the Chinese.