Chicago Cubs: Billy Hamilton is relevant this time of year for one reason
When the Chicago Cubs postseason roster was announced, Billy Hamilton found himself on it for one reason only. His speed.
Players with the skill-set shared by Billy Hamilton are not high in demand anymore. Unless we are talking postseason baseball.
The way the game has evolved, to where the stolen base is not prioritized on a daily basis, guys like Billy Hamilton are finding it hard to keep jobs. Hamilton has played on five teams in the past three years, and has appeared on two postseason rosters. Finding a job this time of year isn’t too hard.
The Chicago Cubs were the last team to scoop up Hamilton for his services, namely his speed. Having a guy on the roster who can run comes in handy in the postseason, when one run can make the difference. When 90 feet can make the difference.
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Hamilton began the 2020 season in the San Francisco Giants system, though did not appear in the majors with them. He was traded to the New York Mets and played sparingly, collecting one hit in twenty-two at bats, yet stealing three bases.
When the Cubs knew they were headed for the playoffs they snagged Hamilton off waivers.
Most likely you’ll only see him in the postseason as a pinch runner, possibly a defensive replacement late in the game. During the Braves lone playoff series, he was a part of last year, he played in two games.
Once entering as a pinch hitter in the 9th inning, when the Braves were trailing by four runs. He walked and scored a run. Later in the series, he appeared as a pinch runner. He stole third base and scored an insurance run in what would be a Braves win.
The Chicago Cubs are going to use him in the same manner. Teams do not appreciate the value of speed and situational running during the regular season. During the postseason, teams love giving a roster spot to a speed guy, where it could have been used on a reliever instead.
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Billy Hamilton may struggle to land a major league deal next year, will most likely have to settle on a minor league contract. Where it’ll take him time to find a job come spring time, when the calendar turns to October he’ll be nestled nicely on somebody’s postseason roster.