When he puts the ball in play, there aren’t many players in Major League Baseball as exciting as Cincinnati Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton.
Hamilton’s biggest asset is his speed, which has helped him steal 37 bases so far this season, good for third in the majors. During Friday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Hamilton put his also impressive agility on display.
In the bottom of the first inning, Hamilton dropped a bunt towards first base that was fielded by Gaby Sanchez. For all the world, it looked like an easy play as all Sanchez had to do was tag Hamilton for the out. However, it wasn’t that simple. Hamilton put on the brakes and jumped to avoid the tag as Sanchez ran by, allowing the speedster to safely dive into first base.
I have no idea how Billy Hamilton did that, but it was definitely impressive. First base umpire Manny Gonzalez was in good position to make the call and you can clearly see space between Sanchez’s glove and Hamilton during the swipe attempt.
Considering Hamilton is just 23-years-old, there are plenty of years remaining for him to dazzle us, which is good news for baseball fans everywhere.
The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Washington Nationals in 15 innings on Monday night thanks to some tremendous defense late in the game. The first — and perhaps the better — of two outstanding plays came in the bottom of the 12th inning when Brandon Phillips robbed Wilson Ramos of a base hit up the middle.
Phillips made a diving catch with two outs and runners on the corners. Had the ball gotten through, a run would have scored and the game would have been over.
A similar situation arose in the bottom of the 14th with a runner on third. Reds speedster Billy Hamilton got a great jump on a sinking line drive from Anthony Rendon and was able to make the play. That sent the game into the 15th, where the Reds took the lead and held on for a 4-3 victory.
We all love walk-off home runs and the drama they bring. But the way the Reds won on Monday is almost more impressive.
Billy Hamilton created yet another run with his incredible speed and aggressive baserunning.
During Monday’s Cincinnati Reds-Pittsburgh Pirates game, Hamilton was hit by a pitch to lead off the game, then went from first to third on a tapper back to the mound by Joey Votto, and he scored on a fielder’s choice by Brandon Phillips.
Think about how crazy that is. He was stealing second on the Votto play, so he already had a jump, but he still impressively managed to get to third. A lot of guys can’t even go first to third on a base hit to the outfield! And if that wasn’t enough, he scored on a hard grounder to third. The kind that most people freeze on and stay at third, or get thrown out at home on. The throw beat him home, but Pedro Alvarez had to rush so much that he made a bad throw home, allowing Hamilton to score.
This guy is on another planet with his baserunning.
Billy Hamilton continues to amaze us with some of his incredible actions on the field.
Two days after embarrassing himself with one of the worst swings we’ve ever seen a major leaguer take, Hamilton pulled off one of the most amazing plays we’ve seen this season.
Hamilton was batting with one out in the top of the third Sunday against the Chicago Cubs and hit a simple ground ball to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo fielded it cleanly and then was deciding whether he was going to take it to the bag himself or flip to pitcher Carlos Villanueva. In the time he was waiting for Villanueva, Hamilton, who is one of the fastest players in history, beat it out to the bag for an infield single.
Yes, Billy Hamilton got a hit on a routine ground ball to first. FIRST.
Who does that? Seriously, who the eff does that?
I thought it was pretty awesome when Hamilton scored on a routine popup to shallow right field, but this definitely topped it. This guy has insane wheels.
Tip via Mr. H
Billy Hamilton has some of the best wheels of any player in the history of baseball, but the young pup definitely has a lot to work on when it comes to his bat.
Thanks to a 3-for-5 game on Saturday, Hamilton is over the Mendoza Line for the first time all season. He’s now batting .214 with 3 strikeouts, 13 walks and a .540 OPS. After watching the at-bat he took against Chicago Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija on Friday, it’s no wonder why.
Hamilton led off the game and worked it to a full count. Clearly he was expecting some off speed on the next pitch, because when Samardzija threw a 91-mph fastball on the outer half, Hamilton could only wave at it with a last-ditch slap as the ball was already in the mitt.
Someone remind Hamilton that this is baseball, not softball, and that slap-hitting is not a preferred technique. And guessing off speed with a full count probably isn’t going to work out too well most of the time.
He’s definitely much better off making it into LBS for his baserunning highlights.
Billy Hamilton has some serious speed, but you already knew that.
The Cincinnati Reds speedster, who stole 155 bases in the minor leagues in 2012, has struggled to reach base since opening the season with the big club this year, but he’s proving he’s one heck of a factor once he does get on.
On Wednesday, Hamilton reached via a single against the Cardinals, stole second, advance to third on a sac fly, and actually scored from third base on a popup to shallow right center. I mean the ball was so shallow that second baseman Kolten Wong was practically underneath it when he was called off by John Jay. And Hamilton made it home safely to give the Reds a 3-0 lead.
You know who has to be the most happy about that play? Jay Bruce. The guy was kicking himself for not taking a good at-bat, yet he gets an RBI out of it. God bless elite speed.
Billy Hamilton is the fastest player in professional baseball and already making an impact on the Cincinnati Reds since being called up earlier this month.
Hamilton, a 23-year-old outfielder from Collins, Miss., is the minor-league record holder for most stolen bases in a season. Yes, he stole an absurd 155 bases last season (104 in High-A ball; 51 in Double-A).
Since being called up by the Reds on Sept. 2, Hamilton has gone 9-for-9 in stolen bases. The speedster went 4-for-4 on stolen bases Wednesday night against the Houston Astros, which also marked his first career start. Hamilton played center, batted ninth, and went 3-for-4 with two walks in his team’s 6-5 win in 13 innings.
Nobody ever wondered whether Hamilton would be able to successfully steal bases at the big league level; people only wondered whether he would get on base frequently enough to have the opportunity to steal. He proved on Wednesday that he can get on base. And between stealing on a darn pitch-out, and grabbing his first career stolen base of St. Louis Cardinals stud Yadier Molina, we’ve learned that not even big league catchers will be able to slow him down.
Hamilton is eligible for the Reds’ postseason roster and will be a factor in the playoffs.
