When on the run, Royals’ slender and somewhat gangly outfielder Billy Hamilton becomes a near-perfect combination of explosion, flexibility and coordination.
The 6-foot, 160-pound Mississippi native glides around the outfield grass and the basepaths, seemingly floating on top of them.
Regarded as the fastest man in baseball, Hamilton turns his speed into artistry not unlike a bird in flight. Yet, throughout his career he’s also played the part of a caged bird.
Only in his case, he’d been held captive by the batter’s box and the expectations that weighed on him every time he grabbed a bat.