According to ESPN on Sunday, the San Francisco Giants traded centerfielder Billy Hamilton of Taylorsville, Mississippi to the New York Mets for minor-league pitcher Jordan Humphreys. Hamilton signed with the Giants on a minor-league deal on February 7, but had not seen any action so far this season. Prior to the 2020 Major League Baseball regular season, Hamilton played seven seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, and Atlanta Braves.
When Hamilton first came into the Major Leagues, expectations were high. Known for his speed, he was the Reds second round draft pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. As a minor leaguer in 2012, Hamilton set the minor league record for most stolen bases in a season (155) with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
Then, when Hamilton made the bigs, he instantly showed off his speed. He had 13 stolen bases in 13 games. It was a sign of things to come. Over the next four seasons from 2014 to 2017, Hamilton reached the 50 stolen base plateau, as he had 56 stolen bases in 2014, 57 stolen bases in 2015, 58 stolen bases in 2016, and 59 stolen bases in 2017.
Despite his electrifying speed (299 stolen bases in 809 career games), Hamilton never led the National League in stolen bases. During that period of time, the NL stolen base leader was either Dee Gordon of the Los Angeles Dodgers/Miami Marlins or Jonathan Villar of the Milwaukee Brewers, who is now with the Marlins.
Even though Hamilton has shown a great deal of speed in his career, what has held him back is a lack of power. He only has 21 career home runs.
Last season, Hamilton split his time between the Braves and Royals. He had a .218 batting average with zero home runs and 15 runs batted in. During his 119 games, Hamilton scored 41 runs, and had 69 hits, 14 doubles, two triples, 22 stolen bases, 32 walks, a .289 on base percentage, .275 slugging percentage, 87 total bases, three sacrifice hits, and two sacrifice flies.
Expect Hamilton to play a backup role in the outfield or come off the bench in a pinch-runner situation in New York. The Mets are currently fourth in the National League East with a record of four wins and seven losses. They are three games back of the division-leading Marlins.
