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You can't steal 1st base...that's ALWAYS been his issue.

Fun Fact: the player who holds the single game steal record was an outfielder. His name? Billy Hamilton. Set in 1894

Billy Hamilton is the real life Willie Mays Hayes.

I met him in an airport once. Super nice guy, as a Reds fan I always hoped he could elevate his game but still was one of the most electric players ive ever seen. I wish him the best of luck

With the extra inning rule, Hamilton could be a difference maker as a pinch runner.

Billy always puts on a show. A fan favorite everywhere he's gone, for his hustle, enthusiasm and infectious love of the game.

Even if he never did and/or never does pan out as a hitter, he's still in contention for my favorite ballplayer of modern times. There might be no one else I have as much fun watching play than Hamilton.

Hamilton also had a short spring training session with the Giants, but unfortunately, he didn't pan out. Wish him only the very best

Always rooted for Billy. As a speedster in little league and high school ball, I always loved the guys that stole bases (Jose Reyes was my guy growing up). It's sad that he never put in the time to be a walk machine or effective slap hitter. Could have been an all star. With the new rise in stolen bases, I hope speedsters make a comeback because it's one of the few things that connect us to the game of old.

I loved his base running. I also caught my only ball at an MLB game from him.

He never won a gold glove. Always got snubbed each year he was nominated. Honestly one of the biggest gold glove snubs of all time. He was an elite defender with ground coverage and a surprising arm.

Cedric Mullins was on track to be the next Hamilton, another quick switch hitter with no pop, but he decided to focus on batting left and improved his swing.

I went to a triple A game in Charlotte (the Knights) maybe a month ago. He got on base and stole second. He’s still incredibly fast. It was cool to see but sad at the same time.

He was one of the funnest players to watch during his time in Cinci. Always hoped he'd figure the bat out but maybe, like you said, he'll get some playtime with the recent changes.

Was in training in the military in 2012 and saw 3 games of his and got a signed ball hoping he was going to be THE GUY. He was very exciting and still hope for the best for the rest of his career.

He was an absolute NIGHTMARE on MLB The Show!

Through high school, I was convinced that Billy Hamilton would become a perennial All Star once he came up to the Reds. I think I still have my Hamilton Reds shirt at my mom’s house. It’s probably with my Votto, Jay Bruce, Brandon Philips, and Aroldis Chapman shirts. Those Reds had so much potential, and they never lived up to it.

Hamiliton tagged up from 2nd base on a deep fly ball to center nd made it home i really have never heard of anybody doing that ever in his prime he was the fastest ive ever seen

Exclaimed "what!? really!?" when you said he won 3 gold gloves and immediately went to bref to see that wasn't even close to true

Great baseball name too. Billy Hamilton! And he played for the Reds, a classic team. Kid should've been born in the 50s and he would've been an all star!

I was a younger reds fan when he was being great, but I really loved him

One of my favorite “what if” players, he brought me a lot of excitement during a tough rebuild

Man he is such a fun player to watch overall i thought in 2015 he had started to put everything together but it just didnt happen hopefully he'll turn it around soon love that guy

Wait, when did he win 3 gold gloves?

I’m sorry, but what Gold Glove awards? He was a finalist during a couple years for sure, but when did he ever win one?

As a cincinnati native, he was valuable when on. But you always got the feeling he wished he was known for hitting dingers.

fun fact: i had a project on someone famous from Mississippi, and i did it on Billy Hamilton and it was the best project i did as a freshman and now i am starting as a sophomore

I feel like he’s like Buxton if Buxton never learned to hit with power lol

I remember seeing him in AAA and he hit two triples in a game. He was electric. Might be the most exciting player I’ve ever seen live

Billy hamilton was my favorite 😢

I love Billy Hamilton but he just never took the advice of management and learned to bunt. It could have been a huge weapon for him. Toward the end of his tenure with Cincinnati, he wasn't even attempting to steal bases much. It's no wonder they gave up on him, but I wish him the best.

If he played in the 40s or 50s he'd be a hall of famer today. Back then he would have been bunting for hits, his skill set would have been much more appreciated. Look at Phil Rizzuto. 273 lifetime hitter with 39 career home runs, an MVP award and a hall of famer.

I still like using him as a pinch runner in MLB the Show since he still has 99 steal although his regular speed isn't quite as good anymore.

If Billy Hamilton could get on base, he could be the second Billy Hamilton.

Here in Dayton I was at a game where he stole 2nd and didn't even have to slide.

Wow. I never realized that Hamilton was that great of a defender. He's a terror on the basepaths, but just can't get on base consistently enough to justify having him the lineup

It's amazing that he still managed to steal over 50 bases in seasons where he reached base like around 150 or fewer times total. Rickey Henderson was on base well over 200 times per season. He reached base over 250 times in his 130 stolen base season. Hamilton would have certainly been capable of stolen base totals in that range if he could get on base like Rickey.

I traded Billy Hamilton to my AA Minor League Baseball Club “ ATL “ on my MLB 2K23 game He is hitting 278. Seldom does Interviews 🥃 Good Poker ♦️ player thou

Personally, I think it's incredible that a man born in 1866 could still play in MLB at all in the 21st century!

He was a PHENOMENAL athlete with amazing speed. He could get to any fly ball in the field! He was a top notch defender and base runner! His issue was the lumber! If he could’ve hit at all, he would’ve been a top 5 all time player.

Thinking he would be the next Lou Brock or Rickey Henderson.

Went yo school with him.. Very cool person so proud of him.. great in every sport he plays...

When I played, I was a fast, little contact hitter. Billy Hamilton will always be my champion haha

In all honesty, if Billy Hamilton worked on his hitting, he could have been the next Kenny Lofton. He (in his prime) had the wheels and glove to make that happen.

As a Reds fan, I loved Billy. He was so fun to watch. But you highlighted EXACTLY why he didn’t pan out: not getting on base enough to really be able to utilize his speed on the bases. He just could not hit in the majors. I wonder if transitioning from SS to CF affected his development?

As a Sox fan I love Billy idgaf

Why are you deleting your old compilation videos? I can't find the one you made about Angel Hernandez among others I liked watching.

I went to a White Sox game a couple weeks ago and he swung the bat like Clark from Benchwarmers

I wonder if he would've fared had he just batted exclusively left handed and take the Ichiro approach to the plate by beating ball into the ground and already having a step towards 1st base. Not saying he is like Ichiro, but that kind of speed it should've been looked at as an option more

As a Vikings fan, Hamilton is to MLB what Troy Williamson was to the NFL. You can be fast as shit but, it don't matter if you can't hit or catch.

Comparing him to Juan Pierre is an insult to Pierre.

Loved him when he played for the reds. He seemed like a really nice guy too.

I feel like he could get a bigger role again if he spent an off season working with Ichiro

As a Phillies fan, he reminds me vaguely of Juan Samuel, who played from 83-98. From 83-89, Sammy was our mainstay at 2B, and then for a bit in the OF. Sammy had some pop, and could hit maybe 15 homers a year. He stole 72 bases in his rookie season, and stole around 400 in his career. Thing was, he could hit o.k. (.270 range), but he didn't draw a lot of walks. He had some pop, but he wasn't a masher you could stick in the clean-up spot. He was average at second, and that was his best spot on the field. Basically, he had all the tools, but not enough to fit in one area. He had a 15 year career that right now is slightly better than Hamilton's. He reminds me a lot of Hamilton (unreal flashes of brilliance, and a lot of confusion in between).

Billy Hamilton used to be my favorite player

Slight error as Hamilton won 0 gold gloves. MLB history is full of players that had potential but could not put it all together. You could probably make an entire series based on players like this.

Man this guy could’ve been a real wide receiver threat with Prescott

It’s would be nice to see him as a utility player back in Cincinnati

no joke my fav baseball player just simply because one i went to a reds game and seen him hit a homerun and he runs faster than a jamal

billy will always be my favourite player.

He's the modern day Omar Moreno, a leadoff hitter that can't get on base.

Billy hamilton literally stole 59 bases with a *.299 OBP!!* if he was JUST a below league avg hitter he literally wouldve been the most dangerous player in the league

Id still. Love to have him back in a reds uni... Imagine if he just got a smidge better at hitting ground balls etc. And having speedsters like him, McLain, and de la cruz on the base paths? Nightmare...

It's a shame that he wasn't a good hitter. If he had been a hitter in the 280 range we likely could have seen home challenge Rickey Henderson stolen base record. He should have done nothing but slap the ball and do a pull swing like ichiro. Bunt slap w.e. needed. do the furcal push bunt where the first or third baseman gets drawn in and he pushes it over their head or past them. With speed like that, who knows what could have happened if he had just been a better hitter

With the current rules in place on pitch clock and throw overs we will start to see a lot more stolen bases and MAYBE even see records start being broken if the rules remain in place.

bro where we grew up billy is fine man he had no parents in his life our coach bought him clothes and shoes school started 10 grade year he had been barefoot that summer besides cleats or flip flops so coach lott had to buy him some and started letting him stay at his house the last few years of high school when you come from nothing i promise he is beyond blessed with his accomplishments and not worried at all about youtube videos of his decline

Great baserunner, but that alone hasn't been able to get him work because he can't hit major league pitching anymore, and he has such poor power hitting that you can throw the ball right down the middle of the plate and there's not much he can do to hurt you. If he could get on 35% of the time, or even 30% of the time, he'd be a starter somewhere, but those days are long behind him and all he has is speed that he can't utilize. What we notice is that players who have sub-.400 SLG% tend to struggle with getting on base because they get attacked in the zone so aggressively and don't draw as many walks. Hamilton had plate discipline, he just didn't barrel up very many balls so he couldn't punish pitchers' aggression. Even at his peak in his rookie season he was a relatively easy out compared to a lot of other starters.

I remember when he was on the Braves, and pinch ran on first, I was like he’s about to steal 2nd and 3rd and he did, and the Braves won!

Speed only lasts for so long and is the first thing to go after an injury.

I have a hitting drill I'm pretty sure could help him but it seems more like a game then training. I would like to know what drills he has tried in an effort to get his bat good. Soo many teams and non have got him right makes you wonder if he can be taught better batting skills. I've always been a fan and hope he turns things around.

Better to have love and lost them never love at all. Bro should be proud he was a name in the MLB and made his money. Good luck to him

Speed doesn’t mean a lot of you can’t get on.

Not a Reds fan, but Billy was one of the few prospects I was hyped up about the most. I knew he wasn't going to be the next Rickey, but I would have loved to see him steal 100+ bags in a single season in the big leagues. Not all hope is lost for Billy considering Michael A. Taylor is still in the big leagues and the only value that he brings to the team is fielding. I just hope I get to see another speed demon who is just as good as Rickey was on the basepaths and capable of stealing 120+ bags.

Hope he has a Terrance Gore like role on some teams as just a baserunner

If there was ever a player that needed to learn to be an expert bunted.

In summary: You can't steal first base!

Just shy of 3000 MLB AB's and only 19 GIDPs.

Nah prime Billy with the new bases would be insane

Billy Hamilton slander will not be tolerated he is the nicest guy on the field at all times I was just in AZ for spring training and he was the ONLY player to stay and interact with almost every fan he could

Dude has played ten seasons in the major leagues with 8 years of service time is still a pro player and made more $ in that time than 99% of folks will make in their whole career….jokes on anyone who calls him a failure.

I don't know how they have hitting coaches in the MLB that can't teach. It's obvious his swing isn't mechanically correct, and it's not like some hitters who still can hit, he definitely could be fixed.

Slidin' Billy will probably be a 5th outfielder for a few more years. He can still run and play defensive at an above average level. So he still has value as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement. You just need to keep him out of the batters box.

Decline from what exactly?

I'm a Twins fan and i didn't even know he was Twin

Speed only matters when you can get on base...thats why Hamilton is a journeyman and Tim locastro is still playing

my favorite player of all time😔

Are you saying Mickey Henderson? Lol

Billy Hamilton literally could’ve hit in the upper .200s if he knew how to make soft contact to the third base side

If me made contact on a regular basis he'd be on any teams everyday roster.

When I saw the title I was curious when he was ever good enough to have a decline. Turns out he didn't, dude couldn't get on base to save his life.

Could as save a spot for a pitch runner

So many guys luke this. Joey Gaithright was another

i have a billy hamilton mcfarlane figurine

They should’ve made him watch Major League. Every time you put a ball in the air you owe me pushups.

A very fun player to watch just couldn’t hit enough to take advantage of the speed

lol, that opening few sentences are kind of silly. Hamilton was never anything more than fast. He was never close to a phenom and anyone who watched him with any kind of regularity knew what he would be.

He can be the next Terrance Gore

Hamilton is Vince Coleman but with a better glove..Almost eerie in similarities.Coleman didn’t have a very good eye and had the same problems with fly balls and no power.But back in Coleman’s day players ran a lot more.That’s why Coleman got 100 SB’s and Hamilton didn’t

The question is, was he ever at a peak though? The only decline I see is his playing time. He never had an OBP above .300 and never had an OPS+ above 100. The only standout stat of his are his SBs.