The Cubs have added some speed to their reserve ranks for the stretch run, signing outfielder Billy Hamilton to a Minor League contract. The move was made official on Aug. 31, so Hamilton will be eligible to play for Chicago in the postseason.
It’s possible the club will consider carrying Hamilton on its roster as a potential pinch-running option come October, though manager Craig Counsell indicated before Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to the Braves that any players signed this late in the year were only being viewed as contingency options. (Chicago also recently inked pitchers Austin Gomber and Joe Ross to Minor League contracts.)
“At this point, if players signed to go to [Triple-A] Iowa, those are the kind of scenarios where something you don’t really plan on happening, happens,” Counsell said. “And you just want to make sure that you have players that could fill in. So it’s ‘worst-case scenario’ planning, but you still have to do it, and still have to plan for it. It’s just in case stuff.”
Hamilton’s last MLB action came in 2023, when he played three games for the White Sox. He has continued to play professionally over the past two years, however, making appearances in the independent Mexican League and also playing in the Mexican Pacific League and the Caribbean Series last winter. The 11-year veteran, who will turn 35 on Sept. 9, has remained active on the bases during that time, racking up 87 steals in 142 combined games.
Once a hyped prospect who set a Minor League record with 155 stolen bases in 2012, Hamilton was never a major threat with the bat at his previous MLB stops (including 14 games with the Cubs in ’20), slashing .239/.292/.325 with 24 homers over 951 games. But he found ways to contribute with his legs and his glove, especially in his early years with the Reds. Hamilton has 326 career steals to his name, with 56 or more in four straight seasons from 2014-17, as well as 57 outs above average and 74 defensive runs saved.
