Tag Archives: billy hamilton

24 Oct

running on

Like the mechanical rabbit in those Energizer battery commercials, Billy Hamilton keeps on going and going … . The former Taylorsville High standout, now 33, is playing for Jalisco in the Mexican Pacific League — a winter league — and at last look was batting .342 with six steals and eight runs in 10 games. He now has 806 stolen bases in a pro career that dates to 2013. Hamilton played the last of his 951 MLB games with the Chicago White Sox in 2023, making just three appearances. He did not get an opportunity in the big leagues in 2024 but played in the regular Mexican League, stealing 37 bases while batting .256 in 63 games with Jalisco and Tabasco. With 326 steals (while playing for eight different teams) in MLB, Hamilton is the all-time leader among Mississippi natives. His 155 bags in 2012 remains a minor league record. … Also playing in the MPL are ex-Harrison Central star Bobby Bradley and Petal High product Anthony Alford, both ex-big leaguers who also played in the country’s summer league in 2024. Bradley is batting .167 for Monterrey, Alford .115 (with a homer) for Obregon.

03 Sep

ready, set, go …

Everybody in the Cincinnati ballpark knew what was coming. On Sept. 3, 2013, Billy Hamilton was inserted into a major league game for the first time, as a pinch runner in the seventh inning of a scoreless game between the host Reds and St. Louis. The former Taylorsville High star, who had swiped 395 bases in five minor league seasons to that point, promptly stole second — against Cardinals All-Star/Gold Glove catcher Yadier Molina, no less. Todd Frazier then doubled, and Hamilton cruised home with what would be the game’s only run. That stolen base was the first of 326 big league steals by Hamilton, the all-time leader among Mississippi natives. The run was the first of 454 he would score in 951 MLB games in a career that ended in 2023. He was also a tremendous defensive center fielder. Hamilton got national attention when he stole a record 155 bases in the minors in 2012. His games were like a track meet: 410 steals in 572 minor league contests. In his first four full big league seasons (2014-17), he swiped 56, 57, 58 and 59. In 2018, his last season with Cincinnati, he got 34 bags. That was the last year he played regularly as he bounced from team to team, playing for seven all told from 2019-23. He played his last game on May 4 of last year for the Chicago White Sox. And yes, he did steal a base. Listed at 6 feet, 160 pounds in his prime, Hamilton hit just .239 (.292 on-base percentage) over his 11-year career. One can only wonder what kind of numbers “Bone” would have put up if he could only have gotten on base more often. Second on Mississippi’s all-time steals list is Cool Papa Bell, credited with 285 in his Negro Leagues career. Jarrod Dyson is third with 266, Gee Walker fourth with 223. Even with new rules now that favor base-stealing, it’s hard to imagine anyone topping Hamilton’s 326.

23 Aug

playing the numbers

Billy Hamilton, the former Taylorsville High standout, has piled up a lot of numbers in his major league career — and it seems highly uncertain that he’ll be adding to the totals. The skinny outfielder, just released from Triple-A by the Chicago White Sox, has played in 951 games and gotten 2,988 at-bats over an 11-year MLB career. Originally drafted by Cincinnati, he has played for eight different big league clubs, five in the last three years. He has just 22 MLB at-bats the last two years and only one hit; his career average sits at .239. But his 326 stolen bases are the most ever by Mississippi native, and he has scored 454 runs. And there are a couple of other numbers that might entice a big league team to bring Hamilton aboard when rosters expand from 26 to 28 in September. Though he has never won a Gold Glove, Hamilton has 73 defensive runs saved and 58 outs above average as a center fielder, both very good numbers according to MLB Trade Rumors. His career highlight reel is impressive. He has spent a good chunk of this season on the injured list, most recently with a shoulder problem. But he can still run and catch, even at 32. Here’s hoping he gets another shot.

09 Mar

steal this bag

To no one’s surprise, stolen bases are up significantly in spring training games this year. With a pitch clock, new pickoff rules and bigger bases, this was bound to happen. And this is great news for players whose main tool is speed. A shining example: former Taylorsville High star Billy Hamilton. Hamilton, 32 and several years removed from being a big league regular, is in the Chicago White Sox’s camp as a non-roster invitee. Thanks to the MLB changes for 2023, he stands a good chance of making the club out of spring training as a pinch runner and defensive replacement. If Hamilton isn’t the fastest player in baseball, he’s in the top five. He famously swiped 155 bases in a minor league season and is the all-time MLB steals leader among Mississippi natives with 324. He has an 82 percent career success rate. He stole 10 bases in 11 attempts last season, when he got just one hit in 20 at-bats while with Miami and Minnesota. He is 1-for-10 as a hitter this spring but is 2-for-2 in steals and has scored four runs in eight games. When he gets on, he can get over and get in — and have a major impact this season in a limited role. … Tim Anderson, the White Sox shortstop and former East Central Community College star, also figures to see a jump in his stolen base numbers this season. Anderson went 13-for-13 last year, when he played in just 79 games because of injuries, and has 104 steals in his seven big league seasons. His season-high is 26, which he could certainly threaten in 2023.

22 Jun

not done yet

Another opportunity has arisen for Billy Hamilton, the 31-year-old former Taylorsville High standout who signed a minor league contract on Tuesday with Miami. He was assigned to Triple-A Jacksonville. This is the definition of peripatetic: Since 2018, his last season with Cincinnati, his original club, Hamilton has hooked up with nine different major league organizations. Hamilton, the all-time stolen bases leader (314) among Mississippians in the majors, is no longer an everyday player but still has value as a pinch runner and defensive replacement in the outfield. A .240 career hitter in 869 MLB games, Hamilton finished 2021 with the Chicago White Sox, signed a minor league deal with Seattle in the spring and hit .168 at Triple-A Tacoma before opting for free agency on June 1. P.S. Brent Rooker, the ex-Mississippi State star, keeps banging away at Triple-A El Paso, hoping for another big league shot with San Diego. After a 3-for-5 game on Tuesday, Rooker is batting .274 with 11 homers and 32 RBIs. Twice the Padres have recalled the outfielder only to option him back to El Paso without giving him an at-bat. He hit .212 with 10 homers in 2020-21 with Minnesota. … Southern Miss product Matt Wallner, hitting leadoff Tuesday for Double-A Wichita in the Twins’ system, had two homers among his three hits and now has 15 on the year to go with a .278 average and 47 RBIs. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound outfielder hit 15 homers in A-ball last year, his second as a pro. … Props to Drew Lugbauer, whose 15th homer of 2022 made him the Mississippi Braves’ career leader with 33 bombs. The lefty-hitting first baseman, in his second Double-A tour, broke a tie with Travis Demeritte and Connor Lein.

22 Mar

big league chew

Billy Hamilton, the all-time leader in stolen bases among Mississippi natives in MLB, may get a chance to add to his impressive total in 2022, having signed a minor league contract with Seattle on Monday. The former Taylorsville High star, now 31, has played sparingly in recent seasons while bouncing from team to team to team. He doesn’t hit much (.240 career), but he can still run. He was 9-for-9 in steals for the Chicago White Sox last season and has 314 bags since his 2013 debut. And he can still go get it in the outfield; a diving catch he made in the rain last July was one of his all-time best. Don’t be surprised if Hamilton makes the roster with the Mariners, who have designs on the postseason this year. P.S. Corey Dickerson, the Meridian Community College native from McComb, made his St. Louis debut on Monday, going 1-for-2 with a walk as the DH and leadoff batter. Dickerson was a Mark McGwire fan growing up and is wearing Big Mac’s No. 25. The lefty hitter said in recent interviews that he plans to swing more for power this year. He hit just six homers in 336 at-bats in 2021 but has belted as many as 27 in a season (with Tampa Bay in 2017). … Texas beat Cleveland 25-12 Monday in a Cactus League game that lasted 4 hours, 17 minutes and “featured” 42 hits and 14 walks. Mississippi College alum Blaine Crim, playing for Texas, had one of the hits, ex-Mississippi State star Jack Kruger, also with the Rangers, drew one of the walks and Petal High product Demarcus Evans, one of the Rangers’ eight pitchers, allowed three walks and two runs.

30 May

energy guy

“Energy” isn’t one of the five tools commonly used to evaluate players. Maybe it should be. Billy Hamilton certainly has it, and it’s helped him stay in the game and make contributions with the Chicago White Sox this season. In Game 2 of the ChiSox’s sweep of Baltimore on Saturday, the Taylorsville High product hit his first home run of the season to break a scoreless tie in the fourth inning and sprinted around the bases, losing his helmet along the way. The guy one White Sox broadcaster called “Mr. Funsie” joyfully high-fived virtually every teammate in the dugout. Fans serenaded him as he took his position in center field at Guaranteed Rate Field. In the sixth, the speedy Hamilton made a diving catch with the bases loaded and no outs, preserving a 3-0 lead. The White Sox won 3-1, improving to 31-20. Hamilton has bounced all over the majors the last three years and made the White Sox as a non-roster invitee this spring. He is batting .208 with seven RBIs, nine runs and four steals in 29 games. Now 30 and in his ninth MLB season, Hamilton has his limitations, but he has found a way to fit in with a strong club, mainly with the energy he brings. “He’s the life of the party,” White Sox broadcaster Len Kasper said during Saturday’s game.

12 Feb

have speed, will travel

Possibly addressing a need for speed, the Cleveland Indians have reportedly agreed to terms with Billy Hamilton on a minor league contract. The former Taylorsville High star, who has 305 career stolen bases and still plays a mean center field at age 30, spent the 2020 season bouncing from San Francisco to the New York Mets to the Chicago Cubs, getting just 32 at-bats and batting .125. He is a career .241 hitter over eight MLB campaigns and is primarily a role player now. Originally drafted by Cincinnati, Hamilton has been with six different clubs the past three seasons. He’ll likely need a strong spring to make the Indians’ roster. The expected starter in center is Oscar Mercado, who struggled in 2020 after a good rookie season in 2019. The team also has Bradley Zimmer and six other outfielders on its 40-man roster, plus Ben Gamel, also signed to a minor league deal. P.S. Former Mississippi State standout Jacob Lindgren is among the Chicago White Sox’s non-roster invitees to spring camp. The injury-plagued left-hander last pitched in the majors in 2015. … State product Ben Bracewell, who has pitched in Triple-A for several years, is on Oakland’s NRI list; former Bulldogs catcher Jack Kruger is going to camp (again) with the Los Angeles Angels; and lefty Ethan Small, Milwaukee’s first-round pick out of State in 2019, will be in Brewers camp.

18 Sep

fade pattern

Billy Hamilton’s potential as an offensive force was on full display for the first time on this date in 2013. The Taylorsville High product made his first major league start for Cincinnati and filled the box score with three hits, two walks, two runs, an RBI and, most notably, four stolen bases in a 6-5 victory. Seven years later, Hamilton has 302 career steals, most ever by a Mississippi native. But an inability to hit or reach base consistently (.241 career hitter, .289 OBP) has relegated the 30-year-old to role player status in 2020. Hamilton is with the Chicago Cubs, the third club he’s been with this year, and has just 23 at-bats in 23 games total. Used primarily as a defensive replacement or pinch runner, he has two hits and three steals. A second-round draft pick in 2009, Hamilton won’t go down as a total flop – he was second in National League rookie of the year voting in 2014, when he batted .250 and stole 56 bases – but the exciting potential he flashed on Sept. 18, 2013, was never fully realized.

05 Sep

running on empty?

Wouldn’t it be strange if Billy Hamilton’s last act as a New York Met was a baserunning gaffe? The Taylorsville High product, who has made his living with his legs, was betrayed by his aggressiveness on Thursday, getting thrown out trying to steal third base with no outs in the bottom of the ninth and his team down a run. Hamilton was designated for assignment Friday, a move the Mets said was needed to add another pitcher to the active roster. But manager Luis Rojas also called Hamilton’s mistake on Thursday “not good baseball.” Hamilton, used mainly as a pinch runner and defensive replacement, was 1-for-22 at the plate this season and had three steals in four tries. He has 302 career steals, having been successful more than 80 percent of the time. But he has never gotten on base at a good rate. He has bounced from Kansas City to Atlanta to San Francisco to the Mets the last two seasons. Can he bounce back to the big leagues?