The Giants announced today that they have signed veteran center fielder Billy Hamilton. He’ll receive a minor-league deal with an invitation to MLB Spring Training.
It seems the speedy Hamilton will represent a 26th-man option as an occasional fill-in and late-inning speed-and-defense contributor. But he could also challenge Steven Duggar in camp to be the left-handed side of the team’s center field mix.
Hamilton, a seven-year MLB vet, is still just 29 years of age. He isn’t quite the unreal threat on the bases he once was, but Hamilton remains a top-line performer when not gripping a bat.
Unfortunately, the offensive numbers remain ugly for Hamilton. He has now taken over three thousand trips to the plate at the game’s highest level, with a .242/.297/.326 slash to show for it. Last year was rougher still (.218/.289/.275).
I’m surprised a contending club didn’t pick him up especially with a 26 man roster now. He’s a great late game defensive sub and/or pinch runner. He can’t hit worth a crap though.
Perhaps at the deadline someone will pick him up this time around since he’s being paid the minimum.
This means that Kevin Pillar is not returning to the Giants. Rangers could be a good fit for Pillar.
I’m surprised he didn’t take the starting CF gig in Pittsburgh.
Pirates are def signing Ellsbury now.
Why would the pirates want to sign a 36 year old who has completely missed the last 2 seasons and has played in over 112 games once in the last 5 years not to mention hasn’t been good when healthy since 2014
Because they are the Pirates
Still makes 0 sense
Me too. I didn’t realize he had become irrelevant baseball wise. I knew he wasn’t much of a hitter but thought he was a decent glove man with speed to burn. If I’m reading it right he’s a career .242 hitter. There are worse.
.242 with few walks and no power. There aren’t much worse.
I get that you can’t steal 1st base, but you can’t be taught speed either. He didn’t seem that bad with the Reds, or that good either, I reckon.
If he is used as a glove and base runner only he’s elite. That September he was first called up he was a weapon a extremely valuable weapon. Used like that he’s a offensive closer.
I don’t think he’s that guy now though and his game is one that if he loses even a step he’s done.
Still in the time I’ve followed baseball there isn’t much more exciting than getting to see Hamilton do Hamilton things. It’s a shame he couldn’t be even a mediocre hitter.
yeah, not hitting is a problem…
Great signing wished the Yankees signed him. They are a great team but zero team speed. They still need a legitimate lead off hitter or a pinch runner
Billy is a horrible lead off hitter. He can’t even get .300 OBP.
Nailed it, his career OBP hitting 1st is .298
.298 obp?????? Good christ..
He’s not even a good contact hitter. Career 20.8% strikeout rate. He’s a number 9 hitter on a bad team, at best.
well it will be interesting to see if the new coaching staff can bring him up a little, if not a late inning defensive replacement and pich runner could still be valuable on a 26 man roster in a pitcher’s park – it is what they had in winning years with darren ford who also didn’t hit but could run
#9 hitter? are you insane? there are pitchers who have better slash lines than Hamilton. This guy is a AAA player playing in the bigs. Good for him for lasting this long, dude couldn’t hit himself out of a wet paper bag.
Calling him a AAA player is a force. He is one of the fastest guys in the majors and one of the best defensive outfielders in the league. Hes a 4th or 5th outfielder… not a starter and not a minor leaguer
Lmao Hamilton leading off for the New York Yankees?
What are you on
Torres, DJ, Hicks, Gardner can all run well enough… and when you are hitting the ball out of the park, how much value does speed really have?
combined with the pence signing, the outfield signings today add up to an average speed outfielder.
check the stats on pence bud. they just talked about how he’s still one of the fastest outfielders in baseball on mlbnow about 3 days ago.
He was making a joke about Pence
Pence is a DH
With rosters expanding, I’m surprised it took this long. But he fits that outfield. At the very least he comes in to pinch run then plays the final 2-3 innings in CF
Last offseason the Reds wouldn’t part with him unless the Giants gave up Heliot Ramos.
I remember this! Haha crazy hey
That’s bc giants organization was so terrible he was the only prospect worth acquiring
You have no clue who is in the Giants system.
Yeah…worked out real well for the reds…
As much as I talked trash about the pence signing, this is a great low risk move.
The freaking Mets couldn’t sign Ham for a minor league deal
Well they couldn’t sign Steak or Chicken either, so you shouldn’t be surprised
What about fish?…………Naw, that idea stinks
They couldn’t even get Ham, so we knew Pork was out
26th Man. I Like It.
Sneaky good signing. I’m guessing .250/.300/.350 come July 30th and gets traded to a contender like the Yankees or Astros to be their pinch runner and defensive centerfielder.
Put me in coach, I’m ready to play
The over or under is set at .200
So you’re looking pretty bold
Best baseball song ever btw. I love some Fogerty and CCR.
His speed would be nice in that outfield but he’s almost like adding another pitcher’s spot in the lineup.
just heard on knbr that they also met with Puig in la a day or 2 ago. but sounds like that’s a no go.
Detroit misses again.
Designated fielder/runner. Your team is better if he is never allowed to pick up a bat.
he might even do better without a bat in his hands
SF will lose 105 games this year. I love it.
31 years and counting vinny
And do you ever get tired of YouTubing Kirk Gibson’s WS homerun
better than losing back to back WS, and then losing in the 2nd round.
The last time the Dodgers won a World Series…
1. The Berlin Wall was up.
2. MTV was popular (and for music videos)
3. Kareem Abdul Jabbar was playing for the Lakers
3. The USSR was still around.
4. The Cubs built lights for Wrigley Field night games
5. Pete Rose was the manager of the Reds.
6. Ronald Reagan was president.
7. Tommy Lasorda was even more grotesque than he is today.
Thumbs up on all but No. 7, which suggests that Lasorda is somehow less grotesque now than he had been in 1988.
8. OJ Simpson was a loving father and husband, married to Nicole, and beloved by sports fans and the general public at large.
If I scroll up far enough will this make sense?
When the Dodgers FINALLY win a world series, you can throw as much shade as you want. Until then …
Tick, tock, tick, tock …
Vin Scully is classy. Delete your username.
And somehow the Dodgers will only be responsible for 8 of those.
Giants are fine. They’re not close to the Dodgers, of course, but I’d argue they’re closer to 81 wins than they are 57.
Zaidi said he wanted a power hitting corner outfielder. Hamilton doesn’t come close; speed, defense and no offense.
The Hunter Pence signing filled that need, this is a CF depth move.
He’s still running the “analytics” but the server is down.
Was hoping for Puig but oh well lol
He’s gonna win comeback player of the year
Comeback from what? He’s been bad his entire career. He was supposed to have a lot of potential, but it’s time to admit he’s never is going to realize it.
That’s what I was thinking. You have to set the bar before you re-reach it. I just didn’t think he was that bad when he cam up. Maybe it’s just that he never got any better. Can’t they teach him to slap the ball. Just get it down.?
All the makings of a really odd roster. Collectively cant hit for average, very little power, not terribly fast, and the pitching doesnt look very promising. Are they going to defense teams to death ?
He won’t hit 200 in that park
This is what MLB nuclear winter looks like. Buckle up Giants fans, it’s going to suck for a while.
Once belt draws a walk in the 7th or later you can pinch run for him with billy. Slide one of the outfielders to 1st and maybe billy gets 1 at bat the rest of the game.
Not sure if it’s a waste of roster spot for a designated PR/late inning defender? His value would be highest if he didn’t get any ABs
…..And He’s only 29
Youth is not very valuable when that 29 year old is terrible to begin with.
I’m underwhelmed. This is the first signing by Zaidi that I don’t get. I guess he feels it’s worth a roster spot for a designated PR and late-inning defensive sub.
He’s only 29, which would suggest he’s in his prime, or he might even develop further, but he’s been terrible his whole career. He’s been a regular since age 23, his best season, and his career OPS+ is 68. His career wRC+ is 67, so he’s 33% worse than MLB average. Speed isn’t much good when speed is your only tool, and you can’t get on base.
His problem isn’t lack of power, which he certainly does, but it’s that he strikes out too much. It’s doubtful that Giant’s coaches are going to be able to anything about that.
C’mon man, we know he’s terrible. But every once in a while Triples Alley might turn into Inside The Park Homers alley… and why wouldn’t you want that?
A+++++ signing. Can’t believe anybody would hate on this. Every team should of been in on this guy. Where are all the war guys at? If he never gets a single at bat he is worth a 1 to 2 WAR and what do they say every war is worth 8 million? Every 6th or 7th inning he can pinch run for a slow runner. Play up to 3 or 4 innings of defense. Or you can start him at home games and possibly get his defense for first 3 innings then pinch hit him for ultimate player when his AB is due. Or when your pitcher is done and his spot comes up with 2 outs nobody on let Billy hit. 1st use is best to maximize his value to have him as a guaranteed base runner. Having him on base once a game and 3 innings of defense is well worth a roster spot. Especially for a team with a couple of platoon starters or with a slower outfielder.
I personally love the idea of a 2 war player that never took an at bat. I’m curious what the highest war to ab ratio might be.
I dunno but you could probably look it up. I would guess babe Ruth. He has the 2nd highest war and a lot less at bats since he played fewer games and he started off as a pitcher.
It doesn’t even have to be Billy Hamilton. I been saying this for decades. Every team has a good defensive speed guy in the minors that can’t hit .200 in the show. Bring him up in September and have him in playoffs as well. You get a guy who not only could steal a base. But scores easier, can tag, makes pitcher nervous or distracted. If he gets to 2nd you have to worry about your signs. If any teams read this do this! I can see the rays doing it, surprised they don’t.
Believing this is an A+++++ signing is delusional. This is affirmed with your admitting that every team wasn’t in on this guy. Last season his slash line was .218/.289/.275. That’s horrible. If he was such a good signing he doesn’t wind up with the Giants. He’d be on a contender.
He’s no where near a 1-2 WAR guy. He’s got an 8.4 WAR for his career, and it’s only that high because he had 2.5 WAR in 2014 and a 2,8 WAR in 2016. Over his last 3 seasons his WAR was 0.3, 0.5, and -0.2.
No way you want him playing 3-4 innings because that would mean at least 1 AB. No way you want him starting. His highest value would be as a pinch runner, late game defender, with 0 ABs.
Speed is a useless offensive tool if he can’t get on base. He doesn’t make enough contact. Last season his SO% was 27.1. League average was 21.2. How is it that a guy with that speed doesn’t score more runs? This is a D- signing.
Easy 1 war player. Who said anything about letting him bat. You could in a blow out I guess. Yes 3 to 4 innings. Punch run in 6th at home. If your team doesn’t get much action on the bases in 7 and 8 he plays 3 to 4 innings. 1 as pinch runner. 2 or 3 in outfield. He goes from as a starter getting on base once every 3 to 4 games to as pinch runner only getting on base every game. Plus running, stolen bases, plus defense easy 1 war. Giants will either be dumb or trying to tank so he will get abs and be worthless. A++++++++++++++++!!!!!!!!!! What a exciting amazing signing. Run Billy run
242 ain’t horrible. He really needed to draw more walks on past to use his speed
.242 is horrible when it comes with a sub-.300 OBP, and a sub-.400 SLG, along with a bad SO/BB ratio.
Someone in the Reds organization should have taught him how to lay down a bunt. With his speed and his complete lack of plate discipline that would have been the best thing for him to do. Great speed, great glove, lousy hitter. Giants did great signing him on the cheap especially since the Braves already paid him $1M to buy his contract out.
At the end of the day, hitting is way overrated….LOL. This signing is what it is, situational and on the cheap. He’s a defensive/ pinch runner gotten on the cheap and with the new emphasis on modern sabermetrics, he’ll fit in nicely and fill a role. Is it going to gain the Giants a playoff spot in 2020? Hardly. Rebuilding will take a few years unfortunately.
Billy Hamilton was at his best against the Giants.
I wonder why it took so long for someone to scoop Hamilton up–maybe he was holding out for a big-league deal. He’ll clearly never be a great hitter, but with that 26th roster spot, he can be utilized in a way that only magnifies his strength’s without really wasting said roster spot.
I guess everyone forgot that Pillar had a .287 OBP and had a career .296 OBP.
Just got more speed and better defense for millions cheaper.