FEB. 12: Hamilton will make a $1MM salary and up to $950K in incentives if he gets to the majors, per Heyman.
FEB. 11: The Indians are nearing a contract with free-agent outfielder Billy Hamilton, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets. Daniel Alvarez Montes of El ExtraBase first reported the news, noting it’s a minor league contract.
It’s back to the state of Ohio for Hamilton, who played with the Reds from 2013-18. Although he has never been any kind of offensive threat, Hamilton had his best seasons in Cincinnati on the strength of a superlative combination of defense and base running. Hamilton hit a meager .245/.293/.333 in 2,736 plate appearances as a Red, but he succeeded on 277 of 340 stolen base tries (81 percent) and ranked in the top 10 of big league outfielders in Defensive Runs Saved (65) and Ultimate Zone Rating (45.5).
The 30-year-old played the previous two seasons with four different teams (Royals, Braves, Cubs and Mets), but his offensive numbers got even worse. Hamilton batted an ugly .210/.278/.270 with 28 steals over 389 PA, though he’ll nevertheless get an opportunity to earn a spot in a Cleveland outfield that finished last in the AL in fWAR (minus-0.9) in 2020. Hamilton joins Ben Gamel as the second minor league outfield addition of Thursday for the Indians.
As a pinch-runner on a minor league deal… nothing wrong with it.
Yankees could of used some team speed for the last guy on the bench
Extra innings runner on second and defensive replacement for Rosario.
Pitch Runner with what was once Gold Glove Defense. Still covers range in the OF & runs good on the base paths. Situational Player that can help win a tight ball game if the manager makes use of him right. They have good Pitching for close games, a good manager & a tight budget. It’s a perfect fit considering you usually dont use your whole bench with a DH.
You may run like Mays, but you hit like $H!T
Perfect! Gotta love Lou Brown.
“YeeeeeeEEEEE I love this shittttt!!!”
Dynamite drop it Monty!
Fly ball, caught.
Great mustache
U never know he could be the guy that hits a game wining World Series homerun
Cleveland on the cusp of the next jump in defensive positioning: first baseman, third baseman, 5 rovers.
No catcher with less than 2 strikes and no runners on. It’s the way of the future.
Lol. And then you pinch hit a guy who is 7 feet six and the catcher can’t catch a strike at the top of his strike zone so NBA centers can just sit waiting for sweet spot pitches with 2 strikes. How soon do you burn your substitute 7 foot tall catcher? How many can you carry on the roster?
Aaron Burr says this guy ain’t worth shootin’!!
I think I’ll write a musical about that……
Expect to see Billy drop at the plate and do pushup after pushup in Cleveland. If he gets the bat on the ball that is…
Billy Mays Hayes?
There to coach Mercado?
I like anybody on a minor league deal. Any team can use a speedy glove. Can’t beat getting 1 war on a minor league deal.
No matter what the price tag or whether it’s a majors or minors deal, THE MAN CAN’T HIT, and nothing will ever change that. Hamilton is actually a downgrade from the flotsam and jetsam who in line to compete for the RF job. Unless CLE has some inside info about Hamilton suddenly becoming a hitter, this is a waste of time.
Can’t imagine he’s being signed with the idea he’ll even swing a bat in a meaningful way. He’s certainly a pinch runner/defensive replacement, if he even makes the club (and could just be signed with the idea of helping AAA pitchers)
They obviously signed him for the wheel we ALL know billy can’t hit but billy can run
He should be ordered to bunt every at bat.
This is a good signing for the Indians with the runner on 2nd in extra innings rule. Phils have a similar player in Roman Quinn with both being true CF’s. Covers a lot of ground out there and the Tribe is thin on OF depth.
That was a covid rule. I sure hope they are done with that nonsense.
Doesn’t make sense to take up an entire roster spot in order to give yourself a slight advantage in a highly specified situation.
I totally agree. It isn’t like that roster is gonna be stacked with .300 hitters. Tribe’s problem for years now is they don’t get enough offensive production from their OF. If they wanted a glove first speedster who might as well not even take a bat to the plate, they should have kept Greg Allen.
I love it when we fans have to justify something as stupid as signing Billy Hamilton. Especially right after we sign Ben Gamel.. We were all so excited that they resigned Hernandez and then signed Rosario. We were like “they might actually be trying to compete” and then BAM! They kick you square in the nuts with these 2 clowns.
you have to justify signing players to play for the Clippers?
Yea because the Indians never compete. Speaking of clowns…..
Yeah because they haven’t competed in the playoffs since 2016 and Gamel and Hamilton are going to help them do that………….clown.
Billy Hamilton + Ben gamel = World Series baby
One more piece of the OF garbage parade.
Sounds like the end is near for Bradley Zimmer in Cleveland.
And that’s too bad. When he was healthy he showed very good tools. Then he got hurt, ticked them off about the rehab and was then buried.
Yeah but remember Brantley bauched at there rehab ideas too. Hopefully Zimmer will have the same success trainers gotta remember that the players know their bodies the best
True, they were pissed he didn’t do the fall/winter ball thing so they were going to bury him in AAA anyway and then COVID hit.
Since losing the seventh game of the 2016 Series, Cleveland has turned over its entire elite pitching staff and all but two members of its roster. They have also lost several key members of the front office and pitching staff.
Since then they have averaged 95 wins…2020 pro rated…never won less than 91 games, has managed to turn an average farm system into one of the top five in baseball, and cut its payroll in half.
I’ve stopped questioning anything they do.
Preach Cats44……Preach
Everything. He. Just. Said.
Everyone else can just shut up.
Really wish they would’ve won that series. Too bad about the injuries to the starters.
Very easy to do when at least two teams are constantly rebuilding in a weak division. Some years there were three teams rebuilding. There is a reason why Central teams continue to have a rough go in October since 2016.
Thanks for helping make my point with your reference to constant rebuilds.
The Indians rebuild, too. But they win while rebuilding.
Comparing apples to apples, lets look at the AL Central.
KC won the Series in 2015…haven’t had a winning season since.
Detroit won the division in 2014, has had one winning season since. (2016)
Chicago won the division in 2008. They had two winning seasons until last year, when they tied the Indians for second place, one game behind the Twins.
The Twins are the only other team to have had even moderate success over that period of time. It might help that they hired an Indians exec to run their org.
And yet, all four have more money and consistently higher attendance than Cleveland over the years. Even in their World Series season, Cleveland was last in attendance.
Cleveland may be the best run pro sports org in America right now. Of course, Tampa and Oakland could argue that point.
Imagine what the Cleveland org could do if it could consistently afford a $150 mil payroll, or if there was a salary cap.
Sorry, but aside from 2016, you got nothing. The only reason why the Indians have been consistently winning and making the postseason is because they play in the weakest division, filled with rebuilding squads. And even then, against some of the worst pitchers in baseball, the offense struggled to score runs and even bring runners in from third. With Lindor or not, this team for a long time has been offensively shiet – always riding on the coat tails of starting pitching. Any other division, and their likelihood of making the postseason becomes HIGHLY questionable.
@ D-Money
Fine. Go root for the Phillies. Oh wait…spent $700 in three years. Number of playoff appearances? Zero. OK, then, root for the Angels….oh wait…despite having the best player in baseball, signing Pujols and Rendon and Otani…number of playoff appearances? Zero. Oh wait, what about Toronto? Seattle? Colorado?
Take your whining and complaining about the Tribe elsewhere, most likely at your local corner bar where you grouse about your daughter because, while she got all A’s, she wasn’t valedictorian, or your wife, who cleans your house and does your laundry and fixes your meals, but she’s not a perfect 10. Sick of so-called “fans” like you…Tribe could have easily won six different World Series in my lifetime, but the ball didn’t bounce their way. We’re not entitled to a champion…the players on the field have just haven’t gotten it done, and it has absolutely nothing to do with payroll when it becomes a between the white lines issue. You think it was payroll that cost the Tribe in last year’s playoffs? Gimme a break. We outslugged the mighty Yankees, got over on Aroldis Chapman, and STILL blew a lead with our $10m closer in the 9th in game 2.
Phillies? Angels? You spaz. I don’t even know what the hell you’re talking about. How am I supposed to argue with someone that can’t even focus on the point at hand. Easily 6 World Series? And which seasons were these?
I just re-read your post, and man… my daughter? Wife? I’m not even married. Clearly you’re projecting your regrets in life towards me. Lol at “corner bar”. You must’ve been around when we took the pennant in 1948, am I right? I forgive your spazzing and rambling nature. Just try to focus on the point.
Did he strike a nerve? Hahahaha…..
I suspect I did…guys like that aren’t really worth the time I spent, but unfortunately he speaks for a large number of unrealistic “fans”, which is one reason CLE isn’t much of a baseball town despite a hardcore base of quite passionate and loyal followers. (LIke you.)
You build to win the division and make the playoffs, that’s your lottery ticket. Get in and you have a shot. Not their fault the division has been weak at times.
Ya I honestly don’t see kluber returning back to cy young form. He faded out quick
@CATS44
I’ve been saying this for years on this site, but received mostly crap replies for doing so. Maybe I just needed to do it a bit more eloquently, like you just did?
Well done.
This man would make an addition 2 to 4 million dollars a year if he could post a .260 /.350 / xxx slash line.
How in he11 can’t someone teach him to earn a 10% walk rate?
Hitting is one of the toughest athletic skills for sure, but he’s damm professional baseball player.
Almost like it’s hard to tell whether a 90+ mph pitch may or may not be a strike while it’s coming at you
As an equipment room assistant?
I’m not sure I see much of a role for him in any case. Bradley Zimmer is a much cheaper version of the same type of player. Oscar Mercado and Daniel Johnson are both CF types. The only way either Zimmer or Hamilton make the team is as a defensive backup who might be a late inning replacement for one of their poorer defenders (either Gamel in CF, or moving a CF to a corner for Bauers/Naylor/Reyes/Rosario.
I would honestly suspect they would put Gamel or Amed Rosario in CF before Hamilton became a legit option.
The Indians are so cheap. Cameron Maybin must be next.
That already happened.
Maybin was signed back in March 2019. CLE later traded Maybin out of AAA Columbus to the NY Yankees..
This guy was really good once. He wound up in the Mexican League. Had problems with his knees. I wish we had him two years ago….we did. 4 years ago then.
What’s sad is he might have been the Reds best option at SS this year.
Makes so much sense to take on the all defense/ speed – no hit role that Greg Allen held for a few years
Sad and Greg Allen is def a better hitter than billy too
This guy ain’t no Otis Nixon!
Handsome?
He’s still hanging around. Guy can’t hit even if they gave him a Tee to hit off of.
The Cleveland Indians new name and rebranding will be the Pearl Milling Company……oh wait, that one is all ready taken.
Derka der!
You can’t steal first.
You can if you do it before anyone else.
Billy Hamilton can still be a useful player since rosters were upped to 26. He really doesn’t need many at-bats to justify a roster spot — use him as a late-inning defensive replacement and/or pinch runner. Given the running game is next to nil these days, having a guy who can be an elite base-stealer may be an ace in the hole.
IjustloveBaseball: Hamilton is not worth it. Everyone thinks he has value (pinch runner, defensive replacement) until he’s on their team. Those things don’t add enough value. He’s NOT worth it. He’ll end up taking a roster spot from a better hitter and you’ll be cursing the sky when he ends up pinch hitting for you, trust me. Everyone thinks he contributes something of value until they see him in action, ask anyone who has had him in their team. He’s useless. Fast, but useless.
Not a big Hamilton fan, but he makes some sense as insurance and/or a short term answer for Cleveland.
Outside of Mercado, the Indians have no true centerfield in their organization. Although they can play center in a pinch, neither Zimmer nor Johnson can play it adequately full time. Zimmers multiple injuries have really hurt him defensively, while Johnson is a rightfielder.
Besides, its not like Zimmer is an offensive force. His career OPS+ is 71 to Hamilton’s 67.
Zimmer has had only 110 at bats at any level since May 2018. Highly unlikely that he will be ready to hit MLB pitching by opening day.
Johnson is a true rookie, and Cleveland seldom plays rookies until the weather in Cleveland warms up in mid May.
So I see Hamilton as insurance against Mercado getting hurt, and/or an early season place warmer for Johnson and Zimmer.
I actually see Johnson as the eventual platoon partner for Luplow in right.
I can’t wait until Francona gives Johnson his shot at starter. I’ve seen this too many times from him, wasting time waiting to play a guy until it’s too late.
I’m still pissed about how he handled Jesus Aguilar and Yandy Diaz.
The Dolans are pathetic human beings. 4 billion dollar team committing to a 40 million dollar payroll. Absolutely pathetic and disgusting. Just the simple fact that these shiets-for-brains are entertaining J-ram offers goes to show you how dead Tribe baseball has become. Just 4 years removed from the World Series and we jettisoned Bauer, Clev, Cookie, Lindor, Hand. And Hamilton? My God. Hamilton hasn’t been relevant since Choo left the Tribe.
Of course it’d be nice to spend more but those players you mentioned in the first place never wouldn’t have happened if the Indians didn’t do the exact same thing, cash in their assets for then. Pestono got us Clev, Choo got us Bauer, Jake Westbrook got us Kluber, Cliff Lee got us Carrasco. It is just history repeating itself.
Yes, and that’s the point, right? We get these “scrubs”, develop them, and then dump them on contenders. The Indians are literally the AAAA team for Los Angeles and New York. Team-friendly contracts or not, when shiet hits the fan, the Dolans start dumping talent and salary. You cannot win that way.
Pathetic human beings? Do you have any idea of the charitable things they do not only in the Cleveland community, but also in places like the Dominican Republic, etc?
Your comment makes it pretty clear who the pathetic one is.
Okay, Paul.
Listen you donkey, myself and thousands of tribe fans are not invested in the Indians so they can donate money to charity. And I’m pretty damn sure the Dolans aren’t dumping payroll so they can use the money to help communities. Get a clue, you clown. This is mlbtraderumers, not mlbcharityrumers. Dumbass.
Billy Hamilton is really bad. You need to do more than run fast in this game.