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Friday April.5th/2013

Billy Hamilton stealing his first base of 2013. The MLB has not seen a player steal 100 Bags since the likes of Vince Coleman and Rickey Henderson did  over a quarter of a century ago.  Here at the M:B Reports, we think that he can run through a car wash without getting wet!

By Ryan Ritchey ( MLB Reports Writer) Follow @baseballaddicts

In 2012 Billy Hamilton was one of the most well known Minor Leaguers in all of baseball. Starting out in A+ ball with the Bakersfield Blaze, Hamilton was looking to be on the fast track to the big leagues by September. He played in 82 games with the Blaze and hit .326 with 104 stolen bases. 

Hamilton got the call up to Pensacola (which is the AA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds) and played in 50 games, Stealing 51 Bases. Things didn’t go as planned for him at the plate in Pensacola and he didn’t make it on the 40 man September roster for the Reds.

Billy Hamilton’s Inside the Park HR:

Billy Hamilton may be playing in the Minors right now, but look for him to join the Reds in the Major Leagues once that year is over. Photo Coutesy of Giants Fan Crystal R. Ramos.

He became known by every baseball fan in the world because of his speed. Hamilton, in 2012, stole the most bases ever in a season with 155 surpassing Vince Coleman.

That is absolutely incredible for any baseball player to accomplish. Hamilton did all of this while playing ShortStop. This past winter, in the Arizona Fall League, Hamilton made the switch to the Outfield.

This might better suit Hamilton because of his speed, but the strength of his arm might come into play, as it isn’t very strong. In the AFL, Hamilton didn’t do to well at the plate – so that shows me that he still needs a lot of work if he is going to make it to the big leagues this season.

Anything is possible though so be sure to watch him as he starts 2013 with the Triple-A team in Louisville, Kentucky.

Starting in AAA could be a really good or a really bad thing for Hamilton. If he doesn’t come out and hit he could be sent back down in a heartbeat, but if he comes out and gets on base, he could end up stealing another 120 bases this season.

Billy Hamilton made his debut with the Louisville Bats on April 4, 2013 and I was sitting in section 121 row T for the entire game. I wanted to see if Hamilton was the real deal or not and I think  I saw just enough to back up my points from above.

Hamilton is still learning how to bat Left – Handed, as they want him to have a few more feet on the defense, but his swing doesn’t look very good at all. The Detroit Triple – A affiliate Toledo Mud Hens threw a Right Handed Pitcher, so Hamilton went to the plate Left Handed.

Hamilton hit a pop fly to short center where the center fielder tired to dive and catch it but came up short and Hamilton stretched out a double. Eight and a batter later Hamilton stole his first base of 2013. Hamilton took third without a throw as they took out the runner trying to steal second.

Hamilton didn’t do anything else at the plate and ended the night 1-4. One thing that really caught my eye defensively for Hamilton was that a Mud Hen was going first to third on a ball hit up the middle and tripped and fell going to third and Hamilton still just flipped the ball into second base. I

‘m not sure if he didn’t know he fell or if he felt he didn’t have the arm to throw him out. Hamilton did make a nice sliding catch to preserve the then no hitter in the seventh inning. I don’t think anyone else makes that catch other than Hamilton with his speed.

To conclude on Hamilton and his 2013 campaign, I see him spending a lot of time in Louisville this season as he still tries to find his stoke from the left side and to master it from the right. The only way he is going to get better at it is if he gets reps everyday and in Louisville he can do that.

Look for Hamilton to make an appearance on the Cincinnati Reds roster in September when the roster expands to forty players. He could be used in several late inning situations as a Pinch – Runner.  Other than that make your way to Louisville Slugger Field and watch one of the fastest to ever play the game of baseball.

Louisville Slugger Field will be filled every night to see Billy Hamilton run, but for him to run bases he has to get on base first. That is the main issue I see with him, is that I don’t see him being able to hit at this level for a while. Once he gets adjusted to the pitching he should be able to be a .300 hitter. The man from Mississippi is rated as the #11 Prospect by Baseball America. He has hit for a Career 3 Slash in the Minor Leagues of .288/.363/.753 with 320 Stolen Bases in 380 Games. He was drafted in the 2nd Round of the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft by the Reds.

  *** The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com or their partners ***

A big thank-you goes out to Our ‘Billy Hamilton Correspondent’ Ryan Ritchey for preparing today’s featured article.  Ryan  is a Baseball Writer for MLB reports. He is  a freshman at Spalding University. Ryan is a huge fan of Barry Larkin and Brandon Phillips  He has been a baseball fan for his whole life and have been writing about baseball since his freshman year of High School. You can reach Ryan on Twitter  Follow @baseballaddicts

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