Billy Hamilton is back on the White Sox. He brings with him extra speed, defense, and energy that this club so desperately needed last season. Scott Merkin of MLB.com was the first to report that Hamilton was returning to the White Sox on a minor-league deal. The 32-year-old will also receive an invite to Spring Training.
Hamilton helped the White Sox capture the American League Central crown in 2021. He appeared in 71 games during the regular season, playing a key role off the bench. The speedy outfielder went a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen base attempts, scored 23 runs, and had 13 extra-base hits, including three triples and a pair of home runs. He also contributed some stellar outfield defense. His diving catch in the rain at Target Field on July 7th was a candidate for the season’s best play.
Hamilton reunites with the White Sox after spending splitting time between the Marlins and Twins on a pair of minor league deals last season. He played 20 games with the Marlins and 17 with the Twins. The fleet-footed outfielder swiped ten bases in 11 attempts but logged just one hit in 23 plate appearances for the year.
Hamilton has always possessed an intriguing skill set, which is one of the reasons he has stuck around in the MLB for ten seasons despite being a career .239 hitter. In fact, if he could figure out things at the plate, he may still be a starter in the league.
Early in his career, Hamilton had all the makings of a star. He finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year Voting in 2014 after stealing 56 bases and leading all centerfielders with ten outfield assists. He also had a career-high six home runs and 48 RBIs.
From 2014-2017 swiped 230 bags with an 82 percent success rate and tallied over 50 in each season. Hamilton is currently the active MLB leader in steals since entering the league in 2013.
He finished in the top five of all National League hitters in triples in back-to-back seasons, with 11 in 2017 and nine the following season. His career-best average was the .260 mark he posted in 2016. But Hamilton could never seem to figure it out offensively on a consistent basis. He has yet to yet above a replacement level.
After leaving the Reds in 2018, he turned into a journeyman. Entering his 11th season, he has played eight different teams in the last five years. He has made stops in Kansas City, Atlanta, New York (Mets), the Northside and Southside of Chicago, and most recently, in Miami and Minnesota. Of his 948 appearances in the MLB, 690 have come while wearing a Reds uniform.
While his numbers are pedestrian, Hamilton’s signing is a small step in the right direction for the White Sox. His presence will inject more energy into the clubhouse, something the team desperately needed last season. He has an infectious personality, and by all accounts, players love playing with him.
His teammate’s reactions to a home run he hit on May 29th, 2021, tell you all you need to know about how the locker room feels about him.
“I’ve actually never seen the dugout more excited, to be honest with you,” Lance Lynn told reporters after the game. “Everybody was pretty jacked.”
For what it’s worth, Hamilton loved playing on the South Side and cited Tim Anderson as someone who really helped him with his confidence at the plate.
“I’ve been around TA, and the stuff he’s giving me, it’s been unbelievable,” Hamilton said back in April of 2021. “He’s one of those guys that, ‘Hey Billy, I don’t care what nobody says out there, you can hit.’ And by him telling me that every single day, that has been bringing me more confidence to actually not be afraid to hit with two strikes, draw a couple of walks, get on base and do what I got to do.”
Nobody is expecting Hamilton to come in and be an everyday contributor. But having his game-changing speed as a weapon off the bench for Pedro Grifol to use is a nice luxury to have should he make the team. The White Sox ranked 24th in the MLB in stolen bases last season. For a team that lacked power, having some extra speed on the base paths should help them manufacture more runs.
On top of that, he was a fan favorite during his short time here. It’s nice to have a player that is easy to root for, and given the White Sox last 12 months, they need all the goodwill they can get.
The addition of Hamilton is Rick Hahn’s second minor league contract handed out to an outfielder this offseason to improve the bench’s depth after non-tendering Adam Engel. The first went to former Tiger outfielder Victor Reyes.
After the signing of Andrew Benintendi to a five-year contract worth $75 million, the roster is beginning to come together. Rookie Oscar Colas is slated to play right field, with Benintendi filling the left field vacancy and Luis Robert roaming center field. Reyes and Hamilton will likely compete for that fourth outfield spot during spring training.
Looks like more of the same to me. Wash, rinse, repeat.