There was no question Billy Hamilton has struggled to hit at this point in his career. However, after the New York Mets traded their fourteenth ranked prospect in Jordan Humphreys for the speedster, New York needed to find a way to have Hamilton impact the team.
They were unable to do that as he was waived and claimed by the Chicago Cubs. After the Mets have seen what Hamilton can do against them, they let go of a player with speed, which is something that they have not had in years.
Speed
There is nobody in the league with more speed than Hamilton. He has shown that whenever he needs to steal a base, he can do so. Hamilton had three steals with the Mets coming in late-game scenarios and has stolen 302 bases in 373 attempts in his career.
The one problem with Hamilton this season has been him getting over-aggressive. He tried to advance a base when he shouldn’t have and then tried stealing third with no outs in a one-run game in the ninth inning last week. For first-year manager Luis Rojas, he needed to find a way to work with a player like that.
“He and I had a conversation,” Rojas said. “After the game, we had a chance to talk. Billy goes into the game, and Billy Hamilton has got the experience of stealing many bases, and his speed is a game-changer.”
This was the last conversation they had as New York cut Hamilton the next day. If general manager Brodie Van Wagenen was willing to give up a part of the future, it is on the coaching staff to help get the most out of the player. Speed is such a weapon to have when you are down a run late and have a base stealer as efficient as Hamilton.
Defense
To go along with his stolen bases, Billy Hamilton also plays terrific defense in center field. The Mets are at a point where they are playing Brandon Nimmo every day in centerfield. While Nimmo has shown he can stick with his bat, his defense has been sub-par all year.
The Mets already have Jake Marisnick, but could have taken advantage of their depth and put out a strong defensive outfield to end games. Defense has hurt New York this year and will be important as the season goes on.
Replacements
The Mets needed a pitcher on their roster, which led to Hamilton being DFA’d and Erasmo Ramirez being called up. New York has Johneshwy Fargas on the 60-man player pool but he does not seem to be on the radar for a late-season call up. Fargas has spent his career in the minor leagues and has had as many as 59 stolen bases in a season
If Andres Gimenez continues to hit, it will allow the Mets to use Amed Rosario as a pinch-runner. However, the young shortstop is still learning how to steal bases and could have learned from one of the best in Hamilton.
This could become a lesson for Van Wagenen, who has been more than willing to move his prospects. However, if the Mets aren’t going to give their players a chance, they are better off looking for players like this to sign in the off-season.
New York moved prospects to get Marisnick, Miguel Castro, Edwin Diaz, Robinson Cano, Todd Frazier, Robinson Chirinos, Marcus Stroman, and J.D. Davis, and none of these players have lived up to the hype other than Davis.
Overall, the Mets have played well since Hamilton has left, but they were not able to get the full value of the veteran. Hamilton, who has already debuted with the Cubs is a player that could have been useful down the stretch. The Mets will need t0 count on all of their players as they are chasing the final wild card spots.
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