Billy Hamilton was a prized second round pick of the Cincinnati Reds in the 2009 draft. After selecting near-sure-thing in college arm Mike Leake with the eighth pick of the draft, the Reds gambled on a high-upside middle infielder with one alarmingly devastating tool: His speed.
Taken two picks ahead of now MVP candidate Nolan Arenado, Billy Hamilton isn’t Arenado, but his speed with evident early. In his first full minor league season Hamilton stole 103 bases — caught just 20 times — and hit a respectable .278 as a 20-year-old in A-ball.