The other Billy Hamilton

Speedster stole his 150th base last night - you read that right - 150 SBs in 126 minor league games. Speed is the one thing that can't be taught, and base stealing ability translates well from the low minors to the major leagues. If I were the Reds, it would be foolish NOT to call him up on Sept 1st when the rosters expand. He could be a real weapon down the stretch in the pennant race, even if his role is to be used exclusively as a pinch-runner like Herb Washington was for the Finley A's in 1974. Plus - If he gets a few starts in the field his 2012 SOM card could be somewhat useful depending on his OBP.

Sadly, even if he were called up to be a pinch-runner, it's highly unlikely he'd get enough plate appearances in 2012 to be included in the TSN game.

Maybe next year!

It will be interesting to watch this kid and see how that SB rate carries over as he advances to higher levels.
Are the other parts of his game sufficient to get him playing time a the highest levels?
There may have been a time when teams could carry a pinch runner specialist. But believe they are now gone. So many teams now carry 12 or even 13 pitchers. Benches are as a result so think it is hard to carry a reserve who only does one thing.

In AL for example you have your 9 starters and a backup catcher. That only leaves you 2 more spots on the bench. One of those needs to be a 4th OFer and the other needs to be able to play defense up the middle. And what about corner infield reserve? I do not think the modern baseball team can afford the luxury of someone unless they can bring something to the field other than pinch running.

Having said that am looking forward to when this guy makes his major league debut.

I saw him (Hamilton) play four times this year in Stockton (California League, Class A advanced) and I have never seen anything like him at any level Yeah I know I may be jumping the gun here but he absolutely has Major League base stealing instincts which is amazing for a 21 year old kid. His best move is the walking lead off of second and before you know it he is off and sliding into third. I saw Rickey Henderson at Oakland about 30 times the year he stole 130 and this kid is going to be every bit as good. He will come up against smarter pitchers to be sure as he rises through the ranks but going from A advanced to AA didn't slow him down. The pitchers know if he gets on first with no one in front of him that he try to steal second and third and he usually does. He has an 81% success rate this year and an 82% rate for his minor league career. His manager in the California League (Bakersfield) was Ken Griffey Sr. and he gave him an absolute green light in all situations. His manager at Pensacola (AA) is former Major League manager Jim Riggleman and I'm sure he has a similar policy. All he needs is some seasoning and some coaching that will help him read pitchers better and there is no stopping him. His OBP has consistenly been over .410 all year and his only liability seems to be his fielding. They had him playing short at Bakersfield and he was terrible. I spoke to a scout for Cincinnati at a game in Stockton and he told me they are going to try and make a center fielder out of him to take advantage of his speed. Funny thing about Henderson is that he is a roving instructor for the A's and is often at Stockton and I know he has seen Hamilton play. I bet Rickey would just love to work with this kid because he is going to be the something else. Time will tell.

Thanks for your personal perspective and scouting report!

I saw him (Hamilton) play four times this year in Stockton (California League, Class A advanced) and I have never seen anything like him at any level Yeah I know I may be jumping the gun here but he absolutely has Major League base stealing instincts which is amazing for a 21 year old kid. His best move is the walking lead off of second and before you know it he is off and sliding into third. I saw Rickey Henderson at Oakland about 30 times the year he stole 130 and this kid is going to be every bit as good. He will come up against smarter pitchers to be sure as he rises through the ranks but going from A advanced to AA didn't slow him down. The pitchers know if he gets on first with no one in front of him that he try to steal second and third and he usually does. He has an 81% success rate this year and an 82% rate for his minor league career. His manager in the California League (Bakersfield) was Ken Griffey Sr. and he gave him an absolute green light in all situations. His manager at Pensacola (AA) is former Major League manager Jim Riggleman and I'm sure he has a similar policy. All he needs is some seasoning and some coaching that will help him read pitchers better and there is no stopping him. His OBP has consistenly been over .410 all year and his only liability seems to be his fielding. They had him playing short at Bakersfield and he was terrible. I spoke to a scout for Cincinnati at a game in Stockton and he told me they are going to try and make a center fielder out of him to take advantage of his speed. Funny thing about Henderson is that he is a roving instructor for the A's and is often at Stockton and I know he has seen Hamilton play. I bet Rickey would just love to work with this kid because he is going to be the something else. Time will tell.

"Rickey likes Hamilton. Rickey sees Hamilton is fast. Hamilton is almost as fast as Rickey. No one was as fast as Rickey"

Yeah, Hamilton looks to be the full package, not just fast.
I've been reading a lot about him and his pursuit of the record.
Check out these articles, fascinating:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/pr ... 13901.html
http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl ... 2308190016
http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl ... 2308220023
http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl ... 2308210020

Read today the parent club is not planning on giving Hamilton a september cup of coffee. So not even a pinch runner sneak preview. I suspect this has a lot to do with timetables kicking in once he makes his first appearance on 40 man roster.

Techinically, a September callup does not affect a player's "days of service" toward Super 2 or arbitration. However, Hamilton is not yet eligible for Rule V Draft and is also not on the Reds 40-man roster; so, the Reds have no incentive to bring him up, particularly since they would have to remove someone from the 40-man roster to do so.

Techinically, a September callup does not affect a player's "days of service" toward Super 2 or arbitration. However, Hamilton is not yet eligible for Rule V Draft and is also not on the Reds 40-man roster; so, the Reds have no incentive to bring him up, particularly since they would have to remove someone from the 40-man roster to do so.

Thank you. Saved me the trouble of looking through Super 2 rules and Rule 5 draft rules and roster rules.

One thing is for sure, if he gets up to the ML while Dusty Baker is still managing the Reds, he will get a lot of plate appearances. Dusty doesn't believe in OBP and doesn't like guys who clog the bases to be on base when his power hitters come up. Sliding Billy 2 will not clog them up, and might actually post a .325 OBP, which would put him ahead of anyone the Reds have batted leadoff this year.