Cincinnati Reds: Will We See Billy Hamilton in the Majors This Season?

Billy Hamilton is simply a stolen base machine. This season, he has already stolen 148 bases to break Vince Coleman's 1983 minor-league record of 146.

However, Hamilton is much more than the one-dimensional wonder. He is hitting .319 this year overall and has started getting on base like a leadoff man should.

Earlier in his career, he was plagued by high strikeout totals. He has always drawn a decent amount of walks, but the strikeouts brought him down. This season, he has 80 walks versus 101 strikeouts. That is still a high total, but it seems that his strikeouts are trending down, and his high walk total has helped him earn a .418 on-base percentage.

With that speed and the fact that he plays shortstop with limited power, José Reyes seems like a decent comparison. However, if Hamilton is able to maintain his plate discipline and draws that many walks, he will have a talent that Reyes doesn't have.

With his amazing talents sitting in the minor leagues, you have to wonder how long he will stay down there.

Obviously the Reds have a serviceable shortstop in Zach Cozart, who is having a decent year with a .253 batting average, 14 home runs and 30 RBI. He is definitely a different player than Hamilton.

The Cincinnati Reds could use Hamilton to add a different dimension to their lineup. Currently, as a team, they have almost stolen 72 bases. Hamilton has doubled that by himself this season.

They have plenty of power, so it seems as if Hamilton would be in a good position to take the position away from Cozart.

However, the Cincinnati Reds have been rather ambiguous so far about his ascent to the major leagues. Dusty Baker told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com the following:

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"It's been discussed. It's not my decision," Baker said. "You've got a lot of factors here. Once you put him on the roster, you have to keep him on the roster or somebody can claim him. We've asked about him, big time. There is [sic] more factors here than just me wanting him here."

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It seems as if this decision is far from over, but it really wouldn't be surprising to see Hamilton in Cincinnati for the playoff run. He provides a dimension to the offense which they currently don't have, and even if his playing time is limited by the fact that Cozart is playing well, speed can be vital in some moments.

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