12:23pm: The Twins announced that Hamilton’s contract has been selected and that lefty Austin Davis, whom they claimed off waivers from the Red Sox earlier this week, has been added to the active roster. Outfielder Trevor Larnach was moved from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot for Hamilton. Larnach has been out more than 60 days already after undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia back in late June, so the move to the 60-day IL is a pure formality. The Twins are still hopeful that he can return this month.
8:53am: The Twins are set to select the contract of veteran speedster Billy Hamilton, as first reported by TwinsDaily’s Ted Schwerzler. It’s an off-day for Minnesota, but Hamilton will be with the team for tomorrow’s series opener against the division-rival White Sox, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 SKOR North radio. The team will need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move for Hamilton, as they’re currently at capacity.
Hamilton, 32 next week, signed a minor league deal with the Twins last month after declining an outright assignment with the Marlins, for whom he went 1-for-13 while appearing in 20 games (mostly as a defensive replacement) earlier this summer. He’ll be joining his eighth Major League team when he suits up for Minnesota. The longtime Reds center fielder is considered one of the best defensive players in the sport and will give the Twins two of the game’s most dynamic outfield gloves once Byron Buxton returns from the 10-day IL. (He’s eligible this weekend, though the team has not yet indicated when he’ll be reinstated.)
Hamilton’s blistering speed and glovework helped to overshadow perennial lackluster showings at the plate for the first several seasons of his career in Cincinnati. He hit just .244/.297/.332 in 2714 plate appearances from 2014-18 but remained the Reds’ everyday option in center thanks to his glove and an average of 53 stolen bases per season. His offense fell off even harder in 2019, however, and the switch-hitting Hamilton has moved into journeyman status, batting a combined .209/.266/.293 in 539 plate appearances spread across six teams in the past four years.
With the Twins, Hamilton will provide a valuable late-game defensive replacement and pinch-running option as Minnesota looks to close a 1.5-game deficit and retake the AL Central lead from the Guardians. And, at least for now, with Buxton, Trevor Larnach and Alex Kirilloff all on the injured list — Kirilloff’s season is over, following August wrist surgery — there could be some additional opportunities to make a few starts. At present, the Twins have shortstop-turned-outfielder Nick Gordon in left field, Gilberto Celestino in center and stalwart Max Kepler in right field. Kyle Garlick gives them a corner option against left-handed pitching, and lefty-swinging Jake Cave gives them another outfielder capable of playing any of the three positions.
Because Hamilton was in the organization prior to Sept. 1, he’ll be postseason-eligible, although the fact that he wasn’t on the 40-man roster as of midnight last night means he’d require league approval as postseason replacement for a player on the injured list. Still, teams make such swaps every year, so if Minnesota ultimately qualifies for the playoffs and wants to roster Hamilton as a bench option, they’ll be able to do so.
Surprised they didn’t do this yesterday to make him postseason eligible.
The notion that you have to be on the 40-man roster prior to Sept. 1 to be postseason-eligible is a widely held misconception. You just need to be in the organization to be postseason-eligible. He’d technically have to be added as an injury replacement for someone, which requires league approval, but teams do that every year.
Thanks for that clarification.
I wonder who will be selected to have an injury so he can play
Why do teams keep hiring this guy? I get he has some speed but its not what it was and he has no ability at all outside of that. Can’t they just hire a track star to steal bases instead?
Because simply being fast does not make you a good outfielder. Hamilton has 74 Defensive Runs Saved and 59 Outs Above Average in the outfield in his career. Also, he still ranked in the 97th percentile in sprint speed for MLB players last season, so the notion that he’s lost significant speed isn’t really accurate.
As a 28th man on expanded September rosters, he’s a perfectly reasonable specialty player.
But when a guy like Billy Hamilton (also Jackie Bradley, Jr.) can’t get on base, their speed has little meaning. Sure he can play the outfield, but so can others (like Kermaier, Duggar and others) who have at least a little better chance of getting on.
Pinch run/defensive replacement only. A slow runner gets on base late in the game he comes into run then takes over in the outfield and nick gordon slides wherever they need
Doesn’t work. He’ll end up in more pinch hitting situations than meaningful pinch running situations. Every fan thinks what you’re thinking, until he’s on your team, then you go, oooooh, you can’t carry a player just to pinch run and never give him at bats, baseball doesn’t work like that.
He will get some starts against tough matchups for celestino but lord I hope he never pinch hits!
The Oakland A’s did that in the 1970’s. Herb Washington was a track star that Charlie Finley signed specifically just to pinch-run. Washington never played the field, had no designated positions other than “pinch-runner” never took an at-bat but stole 31 bases in 48 attempts and scored 33 runs in 105 games between the 1974-75 seasons
In 76 the As used that role to perfection with Larry Lintz and Matt Alexander. However, Billy Hamilton is an outstanding defensive OF with an excellent arm.
As Jarrod Dyson once famously said “that’s what speed do”!
Same reason teams gives Terrance Gore shots is his speed is a game changer. Late inning replacement that can still you a bag as pinch runner. Plus if needed he could be a major defense upgrade.
Red Sox won’t have won their first World Series after decades without Dave Roberts stolen base.
Had the rangers had a Hamilton to replace Nelson Cruz defensive Hamilton would have caught Freese triple and Rangers would win the World Series.
So above average speed and defense can really matter
It can matter. In that it’s possible. But you have two anecdotes there (and one is pure conjecture). It matters extremely rarely and is dumb to utilize an entire roster spot for the .00001% outlier that likely won’t ever occur. The fact that something CAN happen means very little statistically. It’s like quitting your job because you CAN win the lottery.
I can see Hamilton being one of those guys who plays for the most teams in the majors. Keeps getting released and picked up. Great in the field, useless at the plate. Still young enough where he could find a gig with several more teams.
He needs seven more teams to set the record, and he’s 32 now. Could happen, but not a lot of teams want a no-bat player on the roster.
This. The reason Matt Stairs played on so many teams was his ability to pinch hit and hit clutch Home Runs and he did it right before the roster shift of having enough position players to fill out a lineup card and a couple of extra just in case. If he came up even 5 years later he wouldn’t have set that record either
On a side note, if you count the organizations Billy has been a part of but never played an MLB game with the number of teams actually grows to 11.
Teams played for:
Reds
Royals
Braves
Mets
Cubs
White Sox
Marlins
Twins*
In organization but not in MLB:
Giants
Indians
Mariners
(*Just added to MLB roster)
He can steal at will against WSox the entire weekend. Over/under at 2.5 only due to how often he may be in the lineup or sub late.
Billy should intentionally strike out on wild pitches so he can take first.
just go full blown Ichiro… start running before the swing is done. he’d probably hit .250 just doing that lol
He could also go full blown Juan Pierre and learn to bunt as well. Pierre used to leg out at least 20-30 bunt hits a year.
If you could just learn to bunt, then the above mentioned proverbial track star COULD make it as a MLB player. It’s not that easy.
I am wholeheartedly aware. It is one of the lost arts of the game. You gotta learn when you are young. I personally don’t know of anyone in the game today that is too great at it. Eckstein isn’t still in the show is he??
I don’t think anyone would be signed these days exclusively for running and bunting ability. They would have to have the defensive tools then maybe…Like Billy Hamilton.
It’s a talent like anything else. You can no more teach someone to bunt well enough to be a major leaguer than you can teach any other skill. Ok, bunting may be a bit less unique of a skill but still, the idea that it can be simply taught is completely disregarding the elite and rare talent that it takes to succeed with it professionally. If Hamilton had the talent to simply lay down successful bunts, he’d be doing it already.
I loved watching Juan slap a bunt over the 3B who crept in too far and waltz into 2nd
I would agree with just about all of that. And as unique a skill as it is at the big league level, there are fewer people around to even attempt to “teach” it. I would say a great bunter is as rare as a great knuckleballer. At Least these days.
Almost like doubles instead of bunts huh?!
He’s a 8th inning replacement or pitch runner. He swings a toothpick so you don’t want him batting and MLB and MLB is all about sabermetrics now. Teams have learned if he steals second he takes the bat out of the hands of a better hitter immediately.
If a team wants to intentionally walk that next hypothetical “better hitter” bc a speed merchant stole 2B, so be it. One would hope the guy after that is capable of driving him in rather than being a statue banking on the next hitter finding a gap/hitting a HR to drive him in from 1B. There is still room for stealing bases and applying pressure to an opponent when the pitcher/catcher combo is vulnerable.
What about Dee strange-gordon
Hey why not? JBJ plays a great CF and can’t hit… And got 13mils a year!!!
Some FOs never learn.
He’ll be pulled over and arrested in two weeks.
This guy gets passed around more than a dirty magazine in prison.
More times than a rain jacket after a Texas high school football game.
They ought to just let this dude sign one game contracts and a traveling mercenary. Then again, that’s basically already what’s happening.
As a White Sox fan who appreciated his contributions last year, I wish him the best. Seemed to be a great teammate and an excellent late-inning defensive replacement or pinch-runner.
He’s also living proof that you need to be more than late inning defense/running to be worthwhile.