Billy Hamilton hasn’t stepped onto a big-league field since May 2023, but that doesn’t mean the speedy outfielder has disappeared from baseball. In fact, the former Cincinnati Reds fan-favorite is experiencing something of a career resurgence in the Mexican League. Hamilton, who regularly delighted Reds fans with his blazing speed, is poised to make history with his wheels.
Hamilton ran his way into the hearts of the Cincinnati faithful during his four 50-plus steal seasons, but his weak hitting forced the Reds into a tough decision at the end of the 2018 season. The club declined to offer him arbitration, and he began a five-year journey in which he played for seven different clubs. Hamilton never recaptured the glory days he experienced in Great American Ball Park.
Former Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton is back to thrilling fans with his elite speed
Now, at the age of 34, Hamilton has found his footing by going overseas. He first joined Olmecas de Tabasco for a few unsuccessful weeks and then signed with Charros de Jalisco. He led the Mexican League with 37 steals and hit a career-high .283. (Granted, this is a league in which players eclipse the .400 mark with regularity; the ageless Robinson Canó hit .431 this year.)
Hamilton stayed on with Jalisco as the team rolled into the Mexican Pacific League winter season. Again, he led the league in steals with 38 and scored a league-leading 48 runs. Hamilton hit leadoff, going 4-for-29, as Jalisco marched to its third championship in 10 years.
Billy Hamilton already has 4 SB in the first 2 games
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) February 2, 2025
The most SB in a single Serie del Caribe in at least the last 20 years is 5, by:
Gustavo Campero in 2023 for Colombia
Freddy Guzman in 2010 for the Dominican Republic
Now, Hamilton has a chance to make history as Jalisco represents Mexico in the Caribbean Series. Albert Pujols’s Leones del Escogido have received most of the press leading up to the tournament, but it’s Mexico that has dominated the field. Jalisco is undefeated through the first three games and has already punched a ticket to the semifinals.
Hamilton is no small part of the team’s success. The light-hitting outfielder has a surprising .556 slugging percentage and has stolen four bases. With his next swipe, he will be just the third player in the past 20 years to steal five bases in a single Caribbean Series tournament. Should Jalisco and Hamilton run their way to the series title, it would be the club’s first Caribbean Series championship and a fitting achievement in Hamilton’s up-and-down career.