Cincinnati Reds mismanaged the Billy Hamilton situation

Instead of trading Billy Hamilton when they had the chance, the Cincinnati Reds will instead receive nothing for his services after not tendering him a contract.

There was a time when Billy Hamilton was one of the top prospects in baseball. An incredible speedster, the Cincinnati Reds centerfielder was a consensus top 50 prospect from 2011 through 2014, and set a record for the most steals in a season in organized baseball, swiping 155 bases in 2012 across two different levels.

Given his incredible speed, it is natural that teams would have had interest in Hamilton. Several teams thought they had deals in place, only for the Reds to back out of those trades. And now, they will lose him without compensation, having refused to tender Hamilton a contract.

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One can understand why the Reds would have wanted to retain Hamilton’s services. With his speed and defensive ability in center, he had the tools to be a mainstay in the lineup, a potential weapon on the basepaths and in the field. However, after five full seasons in the majors, Hamilton had yet to reach that potential.

After last season, the Reds have finally seen enough. He produced a mediocre .236/.299/.327 batting line, with only a total of 29 extra base hits and 34 steals. His plate discipline did improve, as Hamilton walked in 8.3% of his plate appearances. However, he also struck out at a career worst 23.7% rate, which is not acceptable considering his 0.5% barrel rate over his career, significantly below the major league average of 6.1%.

At this point, Hamilton’s speed and defense is essentially all that is keeping him in the majors. That skillset certainly has a role, as evidenced by players like Jarrod Dyson and Craig Gentry. However, those players work best as a bench option, not as an every day regular like Hamilton had been. While one can understand the Reds patience and hope that he would develop into a better player, this is something that should have been realized, before they cut him loose with nothing to show for it.

The Cincinnati Reds had a chance to get something for Billy Hamilton. Instead, they took a gamble by keeping him, and lost when they refused to tender him a contract.