How good is Billy Hamilton?

[mth123]

Funny thing. Keeping Choo allows the Reds to carry Hamilton. If Choo goes, they need a better bat in CF IMO.

[RedEye]

Funny thing. Keeping Choo allows the Reds to carry Hamilton. If Choo goes, they need a better bat in CF IMO.

Bingo. Walt and Bob have surprised us before, and recently. They have to see the potential we see for this lineup. I don't think signing Choo is off the table.

[dougdirt]

He also seems to have a knack for spraying the ball down the lines and inside the bags,

This is what we call a small sample alert. In AAA this season, Hamilton hit the ball to left, from the left side, 9.3% of the time he put the ball in play.

Now, he did hit it to SS and 3B another 21% (combined).

But spraying the ball to left field isn't something he was exactly good at. He had 1 double and 1 triple to left field, from the left side, all year in AAA.

[VR]

Those weren't major league pitchers. Those were the Astros.

Don't tell Phillips, Mes, Frazier, Cozy and Luddy that. 2 for 30.

[mth123]

Don't tell Phillips, Mes, Frazier, Cozy and Luddy that. 2 for 30.

Yep, That's why you bunt.

[VR]

I have watched Hamilton bat in the minors and never thought he'd be embarrassing after that. He has a nice swing and stance. He stays pretty calm up there and attacks the ball with some decisiveness. He is still a little small, but another off season of workouts will help with everything.

He seems like a batter that will benefit from better control of major league pitchers. He's got Eric Davis/ Deion Sanders speed and baserunning instincts. If the kid can OPS over .650, he's money.

How has he looked in center so far?

[NeilHamburger]

Best thing about his game last night was the eye he displayed. One walk was an easy 4 pitch walk. The other one he took some fairly close pitches. If he is selective like that it will help his OBP tremendously and take some pressure off him, as his OBP won't be so dependent on getting hits.

I believe the difference between Hamilton being a star and a side show is going to be his ability to work the count and take walks.

[mdccclxix]

He seems like a batter that will benefit from better control of major league pitchers. He's got Eric Davis/ Deion Sanders speed and baserunning instincts. If the kid can OPS over .650, he's money.

How has he looked in center so far?

He can go and get it and make it look pretty easy.

[Beltway]

OPS isn't going to matter much with Hamilton. OBP is all that is going to matter. A single is almost a guaranteed double. You think someone will come up with a new stat for him, because of that?

There's already a stat for that. It's called Stolen Bases.

[Beltway]

He seems like a batter that will benefit from better control of major league pitchers. He's got Eric Davis/ Deion Sanders speed and baserunning instincts. If the kid can OPS over .650, he's money.

How has he looked in center so far?

Nah, his speed is better than that. I'd say he has Rickey Henderson/Vince Coleman speed.

[AmarilloRed]

The Baseball America article said that he is faster than Henderson at his prime. I wish the article had recorded Vince Coleman's speed-I think that is a good comp.

[hebroncougar]

There's already a stat for that. It's called Stolen Bases.

Do stolen bases measure the value of turning a single into a double?

[CySeymour]

Nah, his speed is better than that. I'd say he has Rickey Henderson/Vince Coleman speed.

Davis and Sanders where both faster then Henderson, and I'd venture to say Sanders was faster then Coleman.

[Brutus]

Agreed. but he's probably going to have trouble with a .300 OBP at this point (just spitballing based on his minor league performance). I think he has a quite a bit of potential in that regard in the future though.

His OBP in the minors for his career has been .350. I don't think his .308 AAA OBP is completely a fair portrayal of what he'll do at this level.

Fact is, he is an improving contact guy who will support a high BABIP (.356 career minor league BABIP). There's no reason to think he'll only be a .300 OBP guy at the MLB level IMHO.

[Beltway]

The Baseball America article said that he is faster than Henderson at his prime. I wish the article had recorded Vince Coleman's speed-I think that is a good comp.

It doesn't surprise me that he's faster than Henderson. Henderson was fast, but the reason he stole so many bases is because he had a career OBP of .400+.

I wonder how good a comp Hamilton is to Vince Coleman. Coleman had a career OBP of .324. He stole over 100 bases with a .301 OBP in 1986. Ridiculous. Could Hamilton put up similar numbers?