Hamilton now hitting .284 (good) with a .404 OBP (excellent) since his promotion in a pitchers league. If he keeps this up for the rest of the year do you start him in AAA next year, with a potential callup midseason if he keeps hitting and getting on base?
No. In normal circumstances, yes. But you aren't going to have both him and Didi at the same level at the same time unless you are moving Hamilton to another position, which they have said they aren't planning on doing in the minors. So I would bet that unless Didi gets traded in the winter, Hamilton finds himself back in Pensacola to start the year.Originally Posted by NeilHamburger
Yes. Hamilton is a difference-maker prospect. You move others around to get him where he needs to be. A half-season in a pitcher's league and an extreme pitcher's park (seemingly) without damaging his confidence is key. He can work on stealing bases against veteran pitchers who hold runners better at AAA than at AA. He can work on defense at the better field. He's also closer to Cincinnati, for whatever that means.
If Cincinati plans to keep Gregorius, he can move to 2B to learn versatility. Or he can move all around the infield.
The problem is what it does for Gregorius' development. There are three options here:
1) Trade either DiDi Gregorius or Zack Cozart for something else you need.
2) Put Gregorius on the major league roster as a back-up middle infielder/ part-time starter, a la Paul Janish in 2010. (A LH/RH semi-platoon may work to both player's advantage, though I think it's a waste of talent.) This would save money and provide cheap talent for the major league roster.
3) Play both Hamilton and Gregorius in AAA together.
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