Billy Hamilton

BIOGRAPHY

Billy Hamilton was born September 9, 1990, in Taylorsville, Mississippi. He is an outfielder in the MLB.

The Reds selected Hamilton in the second round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2013.

Hamilton became a regular with the Cincinnati Reds in 2014. He had something of a rough start to the season, hitting just .221 through April 27 and being caught in five of his first 15 attempts at stealing. By around the time of the All-Star break, however, Hamilton's stats had greatly improved and he was attracting positive attention from a number of sources, tipped as a potential Gold Glove candidate for defense and also noted for unexpected power hitting. On September 2, Hamilton, with his 55th stolen base of the season, set a Cincinnati Reds franchise record for most stolen bases in a season by a rookie, edging out the mark of 54 set in 1909 by Bob Bescher. Despite this, Hamilton was second in Major League Baseball for stolen bases at the time, with Dee Gordon having recorded 58. For the season, he batted .250/.292/.355 with 56 stolen bases while leading the league in being caught stealing, with 23. On October 23, Hamilton was nominated for the 2014 Gold Glove for National League Center field, but lost to Juan Lagares of the New York Mets. Hamilton also finished 2nd in NL Rookie of the Year voting, losing out to New York Mets pitcher Jacob DeGrom.

At the opening of the 2015 season, Hamilton joined Vince Coleman (1987) as the only players in Major League Baseball history to steal six bases in their team's first three games. In the following game, he stole a seventh base, again matching Coleman for a record by being one of two players to steal seven bases within the first four games of the season. He ended the season hitting .226/.274/.289 with 8 doubles and 3 triples (all career lows) and 57 stolen bases in 412 at bats. Balls he hit had the lowest average exit velocity of any major leaguer (79.3 miles per hour), and he had the ninth-fastest sprint speed among major leaguers (29.7 feet per second).

In 2016, Hamilton hit a career-best .260 with a career-low 3 home runs and 17 RBIs in 119 games, going 58/66 in stolen bases. Balls he hit had the second-lowest average exit velocity of any major leaguer (80.0 miles per hour), and he had the sixth-fastest sprint speed among major leaguers (30.2 feet per second).

On May 4, 2017, Hamilton stole his 200th career base. He ended the season batting .247/.299/.335 while establishing career bests in at bats (582), runs (85), hits (144), triples (11), and a career high in strikeouts (133). He also went 59/72 in stolen base attempts. Balls he hit had the second-lowest average exit velocity of any major leaguer (78.6 miles per hour), and he had the sixth-fastest sprint speed among major leaguers (30.1 feet per second).

In 2018, Hamilton led all NL outfielders with 12 assists, but struggled offensively all season, hitting just .236/.299/.327 with 132 strikeouts while going 34/44 in stolen base attempts. Balls he hit had the lowest average exit velocity of any major leaguer (79.4 miles per hour), and he had the fifth-fastest sprint speed among major leaguers (30.1 feet per second). He earned $4.6 million. Reds general manager Nick Krall said he tried to trade Hamilton, but there was no interest on the part of other teams. After the 2018 season, the Reds non-tendered Hamilton, making him a free agent.

On December 11, 2018, Hamilton signed a one-year $5.25 million contract that included up to $1 million in incentives with a mutual option for the 2020 season, with the Kansas City Royals. On August 16, 2019, Hamilton was designated for assignment.

On March 16, 2021, Hamilton signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox organization. On April 1, 2021, Hamilton was selected to the 40-man roster. On May 29, Hamilton hit his first White Sox home run off Baltimore Orioles pitcher John Means. The following day, he homered again off Orioles pitcher Keegan Akin. Hamilton elected free agency following the 2021 season. In 2021 for the White Sox he batted .220/.242/.378 in 127 at bats, with 23 runs, three triples, two home runs, and 11 RBIs, and stole nine bases without being caught.

On December 16, 2022, Hamilton signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox.