Billy Hamilton | |||
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Hamilton with the Cincinnati Reds
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Cincinnati Reds – No. 6 | |||
Center fielder | |||
Born: Collins, Mississippi |
September 9, 1990 |||
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MLB debut | |||
September 3, 2013, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
MLB statistics (through September 26, 2016) |
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Batting average | .248 | ||
Home runs | 13 | ||
Runs batted in | 94 | ||
Stolen bases | 184 | ||
Teams | |||
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Career highlights and awards | |||
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Billy R. Hamilton (born September 9, 1990) is an American professional baseball center fielder for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball. Hamilton holds the Minor League Baseball single-season stolen base record with 155 steals—10 higher than the previous Minor League record set by Vince Coleman and 25 more than Rickey Henderson's record set on the Major League level. He also holds the Cincinnati Reds record for most stolen bases by a rookie in a season.
Hamilton attended Taylorsville High School in Taylorsville, Mississippi, where he was all-state in baseball, football and basketball. He was a top football prospect at wide receiver, turning down a scholarship offer from Mississippi State University.
Hamilton was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft.
Prior to the 2011 season, Hamilton was ranked by Baseball America as the 50th best prospect in baseball. That season, while playing for the Dayton Dragons, Hamilton became the 12th minor league player to have 100 stolen bases in a season and the first since 2001. He finished the 2011 season with 103 total stolen bases and hit .278/.340/.360.
Prior to 2012, Baseball America ranked Hamilton as the 48th best prospect. MLB rated Hamilton as the 31st best prospect, fourth-best shortstop and the second-best prospect in the Reds organization behind catcher Devin Mesoraco.
On August 21, 2012, Hamilton stole a record 146th base in his 120th game of the season for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. The record was previously held by Vince Coleman for the Class A Macon Redbirds in 1983. He finished the 2012 season with 155 stolen bases and hit .311/.410/.420.