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Monday, July 16, 2012

[Billy] Hamilton hits inside-the-park hr

Non-Sliding.

h/t Hardball Talk, who cites a time of 13.8 seconds.

The District Attorney Posted: July 16, 2012 at 01:55 AM | 40 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: billy hamilton, minor leagues, reds

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1. Craig Calcaterra Posted: July 16, 2012 at 08:12 AM (#4183596)

Best part is the shot of Eric Davis in the dugout afterward. He didn't do anything interesting. It's just that, hey, Eric Davis.

2. Scott Lange Posted: July 16, 2012 at 08:39 AM (#4183608)

I was lucky enough to attend his home debut on Saturday:

- out on a sharp comebacker; somehow made it a close play at first.
- walk, stole second on first pitch, took third on pickoff E-1, scored on single
- walk, CS 2-6 on first pitch
- grounder down left field line, cut off by left fielder who immediately threw in, but somehow Hamilton was already sliding into second. Down 6-1, so they didn't hold him and he didn't act like he was considering stealing.

Also made a diving stop and flipped to second from the ground to start a 6-4-3 DP. Super exciting player- I hope he thrives in the majors.

3. Sean Forman Posted: July 16, 2012 at 08:52 AM (#4183615)

13.8 and stumbled around second. Get him in Skydome and it's Willie Wilson all over again.

4. BDC

Posted: July 16, 2012 at 08:58 AM (#4183618)

Home run, hell, that's an E-9.

I am kidding.

5. Russ Posted: July 16, 2012 at 09:23 AM (#4183639)

Honest to god, Hamilton makes it look like the basepaths are 60 ft apart rather than 90. Please let him be able to hit major league pitching.

6. Harveys Wallbangers

Posted: July 16, 2012 at 09:34 AM (#4183648)

is the kid even running his fastest because it doesn't look like he's pushing himself. he's a gazelle

7. TDF, situational idiot Posted: July 16, 2012 at 09:46 AM (#4183658)

So he kind of stumbled around 2nd, and let up going into home, and his time was 13.80 sec. According to the Tater Tracker, the fastest timed event this year was Peter Bourjos, a quarter second slower on a single/3 base error. Even better, FTA:

As fun as this play was to watch, it's really not all that rare. Misplayed balls leading to inside-the-park home runs (or their scored-as-an-error equivalent) happen a couple of times a month. So why am I devoting an entire post to this single? In all the home runs I've watched, I have never seen someone fly around the bases quicker than Bourjos. In his four-base single, Bourjos rounded the bases in 14.02 seconds. The fastest single trot in 2010 was this inside-the-park home run by Angel Pagan, and it came in at 14.48 seconds. Bourjos's trot was nearly a full half-second quicker than Pagan's.

I don't know exactly what the theoretical limit to a 360-foot home run trot is, but I have to imagine we're pushing it pretty close with this Bourjos "single". We'll just have to hope that someone even faster than Peter Bourjos gets himself into a similar situation and runs it out with full effort. I'm not sure someone like that exists, but I would've said the same thing about Angel Pagan just two days ago. That's why we watch the trots.

Larry Granillo, meet Billy Hamilton.

8. Lassus Posted: July 16, 2012 at 09:49 AM (#4183660)

He also slowed up after third when he caught the signal he wasn't going to be caught anyhow.

9. zack Posted: July 16, 2012 at 10:06 AM (#4183674)

The video really does make it look like he's playing on a little league field. Unlike say, Jose Reyes, who you can tell is motoring because his legs are a flurry, Hamilton doesn't seem to be running all that hard. But the bases just fly by.

I would've liked to see how far the ball kicked away from the CF on the replay to know just how uncatchable he was.

10. AROM Posted: July 16, 2012 at 10:16 AM (#4183683)

What was Eric Davis doing in the dugout? I'm guessing he's not working as a coach since he wasn't wearing the same color uniform as the players.

11. zack Posted: July 16, 2012 at 10:25 AM (#4183691)

What was Eric Davis doing in the dugout? I'm guessing he's not working as a coach since he wasn't wearing the same color uniform as the players.

Lending Hamilton his access to the Speed Force.

12. PASTE Thinks This Trout Kid Might Be OK (Zeth) Posted: July 16, 2012 at 10:29 AM (#4183694)

I'm pretty sure Davis is a roving instructor or something similar for the Reds. Probably his job is to nod sagely anytime anyone gets hurt and say "that happened to me in (year)..."

13. bjhanke Posted: July 16, 2012 at 10:48 AM (#4183710)

Can we get MLB to waive the foul-strike rule, so he can be the real Billy Hamilton? Does he take boatloads of walks? - Brock Hanke

14. McCoy Wilfong for Money Posted: July 16, 2012 at 10:54 AM (#4183713)

How fast was Tony Campana's inside the park homerun? 14.21 seconds, though he did slow down at the end.

15. Rickey Fredonia Fudge Duckery Precious Twiddle Posted: July 16, 2012 at 10:59 AM (#4183715)

I am kidding.

I'm not. I get that he's fast, but a Major League RF makes that catch for a F9 virtually all the time. It wasn't exactly laced to the gap.

16. McCoy Wilfong for Money Posted: July 16, 2012 at 11:00 AM (#4183717)

The thing you have to remember about Billy Hamilton as compared to Bourjos and Campana is that he is a left handed hitter. So I'm willing to bet that Bourjos is just as fast as Hamilton and Campana might just be a hair behind him in speed.

17. Tom Nawrocki Posted: July 16, 2012 at 11:04 AM (#4183722)

There are minor league games on TV?

18. Rickey Fredonia Fudge Duckery Precious Twiddle Posted: July 16, 2012 at 11:06 AM (#4183724)

I'm pretty sure Davis is a roving instructor or something similar for the Reds. Probably his job is to nod sagely anytime anyone gets hurt and say "that happened to me in (year)..."

This is very funny.

19. MM1f Posted: July 16, 2012 at 11:14 AM (#4183730)

The thing you have to remember about Billy Hamilton as compared to Bourjos and Campana is that he is a left handed hitter. So I'm willing to bet that Bourjos is just as fast as Hamilton and Campana might just be a hair behind him in speed.

Every single scout or prospect writer that has seen Hamilton play has said that, without a doubt, Hamilton is noticeably faster than Campana, Bourjos, Trout, ect.

20. McCoy Wilfong for Money Posted: July 16, 2012 at 11:35 AM (#4183758)

Not when comparing their inside the park times.

21. John DiFool2 Posted: July 16, 2012 at 11:37 AM (#4183764)

The video really does make it look like he's playing on a little league field. Unlike say, Jose Reyes, who you can tell is motoring because his legs are a flurry, Hamilton doesn't seem to be running all that hard. But the bases just fly by.

They say the same thing about Usain Bolt.

His K/W data look pretty good-in a SSS at AA (20 PA) he has 3 K and 3 W.

Did I see Eric Davis as a coach there?

22. TDF, situational idiot Posted: July 16, 2012 at 11:52 AM (#4183775)

The thing you have to remember about Billy Hamilton as compared to Bourjos and Campana is that he is a left handed hitter. So I'm willing to bet that Bourjos is just as fast as Hamilton and Campana might just be a hair behind him in speed.

Given that Bourjos was going hard the whole way, sliding into home, and Hamilton beat him by a quarter second while easing up going into home, I'll take that bet.

According to Larry Granillo (he of the "Tater Tracker", who posted an article this morning):

I detailed that trot in this post, but Hamilton's inside-the-parker blows Bourjos out of the water. A difference of 0.22 seconds in races like these is remarkable. Bourjos might have been a full step or two behind Hamilton. It's amazing.

23. SouthSideRyan Posted: July 16, 2012 at 12:01 PM (#4183791)

Campana is a lefty.

24. McCoy Wilfong for Money Posted: July 16, 2012 at 12:01 PM (#4183792)

Bourjos might have been a full step or two behind Hamilton. It's amazing.

Left-hander.

25. McCoy Wilfong for Money Posted: July 16, 2012 at 12:03 PM (#4183794)

Campana is a lefty.

oops.

26. PreservedFish Posted: July 16, 2012 at 12:12 PM (#4183808)

I get that he's fast, but a Major League RF makes that catch for a F9 virtually all the time. It wasn't exactly laced to the gap.

Who cares? "That he's fast" is exactly what we're talking about here.

27. BDC

Posted: July 16, 2012 at 12:19 PM (#4183821)

hey say the same thing about Usain Bolt

After they get this "Olympics" stuff out of the way, I totally want to see Usain Bolt as this year's Texas-Rangers version of Herb Washington.

28. TDF, situational idiot Posted: July 16, 2012 at 12:31 PM (#4183836)

Bourjos might have been a full step or two behind Hamilton. It's amazing.

Left-hander.

Quarter of a second. Wasn't running hard the whole way.

29. Rickey Fredonia Fudge Duckery Precious Twiddle Posted: July 16, 2012 at 12:41 PM (#4183857)

Who cares? "That he's fast" is exactly what we're talking about here.

Sure. But "fast guy is fast" stories get old for me after a bit.

30. Squash Posted: July 16, 2012 at 01:05 PM (#4183895)

Sure. But "fast guy is fast" stories get old for me after a bit.

At this point people are going to be disappointed if he steals any less than 80 bases a year in MLB. 70 might be acceptable.

31. Swedish Chef Posted: July 16, 2012 at 01:12 PM (#4183904)

Sure. But "fast guy is fast" stories get old for me after a bit.

Yeah, I was excited when I saw "Hamilton makes it look like the basepaths are 60 ft apart rather than 90.". Turns out it wasn't relativistic length contraction but just a figure of speech. Bah.

32. SoSH U at work Posted: July 16, 2012 at 01:15 PM (#4183910)

Sure. But "fast guy is fast" stories get old for me after a bit.

"Fast guy is fast" stories never get old. OTOH, "old guy is old" stories* get old fast.

* See Most Jamie Moyer threads.

33. Rickey Fredonia Fudge Duckery Precious Twiddle Posted: July 16, 2012 at 01:17 PM (#4183913)

"Fast guy is fast" stories never get old. OTOH, "old guy is old" stories* get old fast.

Are you suggesting that "fast guy is fast" stories never go into slumps?

34. Nasty Nate Posted: July 16, 2012 at 01:18 PM (#4183918)

Who is faster, Trout or Bourjos?

35. Nasty Nate Posted: July 16, 2012 at 01:20 PM (#4183920)

Jamie Moyer is so old that in his day "fast guy is fast" stories were about the other Billy Hamilton.

36. Shredder Posted: July 16, 2012 at 01:24 PM (#4183926)

Who is faster, Trout or Bourjos?

I may have it backward, but I think the general wisdom is that Trout is faster home to first, but Bourjos may be faster all the way around the bases. Not sure it's a significant difference though.

37. Crispix Attacks 2: Swag Airlines Posted: July 16, 2012 at 01:30 PM (#4183934)

Strangely enough Carlos Ruiz is the fastest going from first to home, but there's little call to show it off.

38. Crispix Attacks 2: Swag Airlines Posted: July 16, 2012 at 01:35 PM (#4183942)

Best part is the shot of Eric Davis in the dugout afterward. He didn't do anything interesting. It's just that, hey, Eric Davis.

At Bakersfield he was managed by Ken Griffey Sr. Now he's being coached by Eric Davis. The current Reds AAA manager is noted speedster David Bell, but I'm sure by the time Hamilton gets there they'll have hired Davey Lopes or Delino DeShields or somebody. This is all fate.

39. McCoy Wilfong for Money Posted: July 16, 2012 at 02:08 PM (#4183990)

I'm surprised that the Reds don't go after Rickey Henderson. It seems to me he always helped make the other speedy guy on the team better.

40. eric Posted: July 16, 2012 at 02:42 PM (#4184043)

I'm just hoping between him and Mike Trout (or anyone else, for that matter) we see another 100+ SB season in the bigs.

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Monday, July 16, 2012

[Billy] Hamilton hits inside-the-park hr

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