Turning Singles Into Triples

By: Mike Wagenman

It is not often that a story from the single-A ranks of Minor League Baseball gets many reads.  However, this story is something different.  Billy Hamilton, shortstop of the Cincinnati Reds single-A affiliate Bakersfield Blaze, has gotten national attention recently for his torrid base stealing pace.  He is a former second-round pick of the Reds in the 2009 Draft out of Taylorsville High School in Taylorsville, Mississippi. 

Through 77 games, Hamilton has a total of 98 stolen bases.  That’s right, 98 stolen bases.  He has only been thrown out 21 times in his 119 attempts for an 82.3 percent success rate.  The fact that Hamilton has so many steals when opposing pitchers and catchers know he has the ability to steal on any pitch is astounding.  What may be even more astounding is the fact that he has had the opportunity to steal 119 bases in just 77 games.  That speaks volumes about his abilities as a hitter.

Hamilton is the leadoff hitter for the Blaze, and is hitting .327 (8^th in the California League) with one home run, 29 RBI, and 9 triples (1^st in the California League).  His on-base percentage is an incredible .416, good for 3^rd in the league.  Hamilton’s .448 slugging percentage speaks to the style of game he plays, that of a singles hitter.  The high amount of singles he collects allows him to potentially steal second and third base nearly every time he reaches safely.

Stealing bases is nothing new for Hamilton.  Last season he became the 12^th minor leaguer ever to steal over 100 bases in a season, as he finished with 103 for the Dayton Dragons of the Midwest League.  Hamilton’s speed changes games, and as they say, speed does not go into slumps.  Sam Miller of Baseball Prospectus pointed out two incredible statistics about Hamilton’s speed.  First, as of early May, Hamilton was hitting .364 (8-for-22) on ground balls fielded cleanly by infielders.  He had eight infield singles and was only thrown out 14 times.  Second, Hamilton scored the game winning run in a game played on April 20^th on a sacrifice fly to the second baseman.  Take a minute to absorb that.

Hamilton most likely will be promoted from A-ball sometime in the near future.  Scouts and Yahoo Sports have said that as the second-best prospect in Cincinnati’s organization and the 31^st best in all of baseball, he could have a real chance at contending for the leadoff spot in the Reds lineup in 2013.  However, he will have to improve defensively, as he has eight errors at shortstop.

Sources: MiLB.com, sports.yahoo.com, Baseball Prospectus