There are easy ways to get attention on the Internet. For example, one of them is to mention Corgis. D’awww, Corgis. And by using Corgis, I will add 1,000 page views to this article:
Billy Hamilton Could Get September Call
That's how the Internet works. From a baseball perspective, there are a few tricks. One is Mike Trout. Everyone is up for a Mike Trout article, even if it says nothing more than "Mike Trout is really good, folks." And another one is Billy Hamilton. Oh, goodness, Billy Hamilton:
| Year | Age | Lev | AB | SB | CS | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 21 | A+-AA | 436 | 133 | 28 | 70 | 92 | .312 | .409 | .427 |
He’s unlike anything the majors has right now. There are other players who steal bases. There are other fast players. But there aren’t any fast players who make the stolen base the justification for their baseball existence. Hamilton has other skills, and he’s a real prospect. But he thrills the baseball world right now because of the stolen bases.
It isn’t just the stolen bases, either. It’s the unknown, the grainy Bigfoot-like video that is Hamilton’s career so far. He’s as good and as fast as we imagine him to be. Even if we’ve seen a video, or a game or two, we still can imagine him to be as fast as we want because we haven’t seen a lot of him.
According to Dusty Baker, that could change:
"Possibly," Baker said. "Speed’s always an asset. Speed kills. I remember the Cardinals with Willie McGee, Vince Coleman and Ozzie (Smith). Man. That was their slogan, speed kills."
Hamilton could be up in a pennant race. He could be a secret weapon for September and the playoffs -- a baseball event.
Or he could stay in the minors.
I'm not saying Bud Selig should step in and make sure the call-up happens, but Bud Selig should probably step in and make sure the call-up happens. Give the fans what they want. And if the Reds fans start talking about "arbitration" and "service time", give them something to make them happy. A player from the Indians, or something.
The service-time question is legitimate, of course, and the Reds would have to decide just how much a September pinch-runner and secret weapon is worth. It might not be worth the millions it costs them down the line.
But as something we want to see? Oh, yes. Please, yes. Help us out, Reds.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to stare at those Corgis for another hour.
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