The Reds took two of three from the Pirates over the weekend, and Billy Hamilton was no small part of it.
He only started one of the games, but the speedy outfielder scored three runs and stole three bases.
It started Friday night when he pinch-ran for Zack Cozart in the ninth inning, stole second base then scored from there on an infield single by Devin Mesoraco that went off the glove of the Pittsburgh third baseman. (That set up Joey Votto for a game-winning home run in the 10th inning).
Two days later, Hamilton found himself in the starting lineup with center fielder Shin-Soo Choo needing to rest a sore thumb, and the youngster from Mississippi did not disappoint.
Hamilton went 3 for 6 with a pair of infield singles and a double he stretched from a single. He scored two run as the Reds romped 11-3.
He also stole two more bases, leaving him with 12 in 10 games. That leads all of Major League Baseball in the month of September even though Hamilton has only started two games.
Miss the carnage? MLB.com provides a nice video recap here.
Of course it's a small sample size, but Hamilton is batting .429 (6 for 14) with an on-base percentage of .500 thanks to a pair of walks. After 16 plate appearances, he has struck out only once and can boast of a 1.071 OPS. He has handled the bat well, perhaps alleviating some fears his development had plateaued after the club's top prospect had an up-and-down season at Triple-A Louisville.
The Reds are 8-2 in games in which Hamilton has played, leaving many to wonder if he will be included on the postseason roster should the Reds hang on to one of the NL wild cards or even catch the Cardinals in the NL Central.
What do you think?
