FORT MYERS, Fla. — Red Sox shortstop prospect David Hamilton by no means plans to trip a scooter once more.
“I think I’ll stay off those,” he stated right here at JetBlue Park on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old speedster — who the Red Sox acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers with Jackie Bradley Jr. and prospect Alex Binelas for Hunter Renfroe on Dec. 1 — stole 45 bases in 125 video games on the University of Texas as a freshman and sophomore. He added 11 steals in 17 video games for Yarmouth-Dennis of the Cape Cod League the summer season after his sophomore season.
But a scooter accident prompted him to overlook his whole junior yr and initially created some uncertainty whether or not he would regain his similar elite speed.
“It was definitely sketchy because that’s my game is running,” Hamilton stated. “So I think just during rehab I was hyper focused on getting back, if not better than what I was. So I think it worked out.”
Yes, all the things has labored out fairly effectively after an intense rehab. He stole 52 bases in 101 video games between High-A Wisconsin and Double-A Biloxi in 2021.
“When I was rehabbing, I definitely was faster than what I was before,” Hamilton stated.
“I was just running every day, doing sleds,” he added. “Isolating specific joints, specific muscles, everything around the Achilles basically to get it strong again.”
Hamilton was driving an electrical scooter in Austin that he rented via an app. It occurred proper earlier than his junior season in 2019.
“I was going down a hill. I was going pretty fast,” he stated. “Hit a pot hole. I don’t know how it happened but it sliced my Achilles.”
The Brewers nonetheless chosen him in the eighth spherical of the 2019 MLB Draft. He then didn’t play in any affiliated video games in 2020 as a result of the minor league season acquired canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But he did play in 27 video games for Team Texas of the unbiased 2020 Constellation Energy League.
He was an ideal 20-for-20 in stolen bases.
“I’ve always been pretty fast,” he stated.
Hamilton ran observe in center college however didn’t compete in highschool as a result of it coincided with baseball season.
Hamilton stated his occasions are unofficial so he’s not sure “how true they are.” But he stated his quickest unofficial 40-yard sprint is 4.4 seconds and his quickest unofficial 60-yard is 6.3 seconds.
“I think I ran an 11.3 100 (yard dash) in middle school,” he stated. “That’s track.”
Hamilton additionally performed soccer in highschool.
“I played all over,” he stated. “Safety. Corner. Quarterback. Receiver. Punter. Kicker. Kick return. Everything.”
Hamilton stated he acquired his speed from his dad.
“He’d like to think so.”
David Hamilton Sr., who was a soccer and baseball participant, performed two seasons of rookie ball in the Reds group. He was 7-for-8 in steal makes an attempt in 35 minor league video games. He additionally did a very good job of reaching base in his transient pattern dimension with 21 walks in comparison with 9 strikeouts and a .415 on-base proportion.
“He’s been my coach since I was young,” Hamilton stated.
What phrase would Hamilton use to explain his preliminary emotions on the trade to Boston?
“Shocker I would say,” Hamilton stated. “Because it was right before the deadline. I wasn’t really expecting anything. I got a phone call. They were like, ‘Hey, you’re traded.’ I was like, ‘Wow. OK.’ But so far it’s been great. I like the Red Sox.”
The deal went down proper earlier than MLB locked out its gamers at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 1. He by no means met Binelas — a power-hitter — till arriving right here in Fort Myers.
“I know he can hit a little bit. That’s for sure,” Hamilton stated. “I talked to him a little (here). He’s pretty cool.”
The center infielder batted .258 with a .341 on-base proportion, .419 slugging proportion, .761 OPS, eight homers, 19 doubles, 11 triples, 66 runs, 43 RBIs, 50 walks and 90 strikeouts in 459 plate appearances in 2021.
“I think I did everything OK,” Hamilton stated. “I would like to get better in every aspect of my game: hitting-wise, fielding-wise, running-wise. Just get everything a little bit better.”
Hamilton considers himself a gap-to-gap hitter.
“I came here and the Red Sox suggested I do something different with my load,” he stated. “So I’ve been working on that these past three weeks that I’ve been here.”
Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom stated again in December, “Hamilton has premium speed and he’s a really good middle infielder. Plays a good shortstop.”
“I’ve played short my whole life,” Hamilton stated. “I’m definitely more comfortable there. But I’m getting to know second a lot better. I think playing short a lot helps at second.”
Hamilton stole a base in the minor league intrasquad sport right here Sunday, the primary official day of camp.
“Just the way he moves in the infield and some of the short bursts he’s had, obviously a lot of athleticism, a lot of speed,” Red Sox director of participant growth Brian Abraham stated.
Abraham expects Hamilton largely to play at shortstop and obtain “probably some time at second base as well.”
“But the ability to play short is extremely valuable and we’ve seen some really good things so far,” Abraham stated.
Aside from baseball, what does Hamilton love to do?
“I’ve been getting into reading. Trying to read a little bit,” Hamilton stated. “Of course I like video games. Anything athletic really. Volleyball. Basketball. Spikeball. Anything to be active.”
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