"Beep beep! The fastest man in baseball has done it again!"
In 2012, Cincinnati Reds' speedster Billy Hamilton made a name for himself by swiping 155 stolen bases (between Single-A Advanced Bakersfield and Double-A Pensacola), which broke a 29-year old mark set by Vince Coleman (145). Tonight he will return to the scene of his milestone in the first game of what is expected to be a three-day rehab stint.
The 2014 National League Rookie of the Year runner-up was placed on the 15-day DL with a sprained capsule in his right shoulder on August 19, one day after attempting a diving catch versus the Kansas City Royals. In his second season, Hamilton seems to be in a "sophomore slump" considering he has two round-trippers and twenty RBIs fewer than last year. In addition, the 24-year old's batting average has dipped from an "okay" .250 to a horrific .226. Honestly, the only part of Hamilton's game that has been consistent in 2015 is his speed as he has 54 steals (in 107 games).
Since the Minor League Baseball season ends on Monday, the Reds were initially unsure whether their every day center fielder would heal in time to get a few games underneath his belt prior to activation. Thankfully, Hamilton made the great stride of only playing catch on Wednesday to hitting in the batting cage prior to yesterday's postponement versus the Milwaukee Brewers, ultimately gave himself the green light for action down on the farm.
While Hamilton heads to Pensacola, fellow outfielder Brennan Boesch will also begin a rehab assignment tomorrow, but with the Louisville Bats (Triple-A). Boesch's production with the Bats (.331 BA, 4 HR, and 28 RBI) has yet to translate to the Major Leagues as the 30-year old is bating .136 with no home runs and three RBIs in 36 games with the Reds.