Hamilton Blazes To Stolen-Base Record

By Bill Vilona
August 22, 2012


PENSACOLA, Fla.—True to his form, Billy Hamilton sped to history.

Hamilton, the 21-year-old captivating shortstop for the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos, wasted little time in the first game of a Tuesday night doubleheader to become baseball's greatest single-season basestealer.

Hamilton needed just two at-bats and three innings to produce the final three notches on a minor league baseball record previously held by Vince Coleman since 1983. Coleman stole 145 bases that season for the Macon (Ga.) Redbirds in the low Class A South Atlantic League.

Hamilton tied and eclipsed the record in three pitches, stealing second base and then third, following his two-out single in the third inning against Double-A Montgomery in a Southern League matchup of postseason hopeful teams.


He later followed with a fourth steal, his first four-game steal in Double-A.

"Thinking back when I was a little young guy, I never expected to be right here in this moment, and it feels good," said Hamilton, who grew up in Taylorsville, Miss., a rural town in the south central portion of the state with approximately 1,300 residents, before being selected by the Reds in the second round of the 2009 draft.

Hamilton credits his mother, Polly, for helping shape his life, and she was waiting with a hug between innings as Hamilton got ready to go back on the field after setting the mark.

"Oh man, it was emotional," he said. "I had to hold my tears in. She loves me and I love her."

At the request of Major League Baseball, both the tying and record-setting bases were removed after time was called.

A crowd of 4,154 at the team's bayfront stadium stood and cheered both his record-tying and record-breaking steals, and fans signed cardboard, commemorative on-deck circles with the stolen base numbers. Hamilton's shoes have been requested by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

"It's a bunch of relief," Hamilton said. "Now, I feel a little better, like I can get on with my game and finish out the season strong. Now, I am more relaxed at the plate and more relaxed in the field."

Somewhere in San Diego, where he now resides, Vince Coleman was likely cheering for Hamilton to pass him.

"I am excited for this young man," Coleman, who has not seen Hamilton play, said previously. "From what I hear, he has all the dynamics that a basestealer should have.

"I'm excited because I can watch baseball again. I'll be honest, I have not watched many baseball (games) in the past years, because there are a lot of fundamentals that have not been stressed over the last 10 years."

Blue Wahoos manager Jim Riggleman, whose managerial career began in 1983 in the minor leagues when Coleman set the record, said he never thought anyone would eclipse it.

"You have to get on base to do it, you have to stay healthy to do it, and it is just freakish that anybody can get that kind of number," he said.

Bill Vilona is a sports columnist for the Pensacola News Journal

RARE COMPANY
Billy Hamilton steals bags so well that it's notable when he does get thrown out, here's a look at every caught stealing he's had this year
DATE	TEAM	PITCHER	CATCHER
4/14/12	San Jose (Giants)	Justin Schumer	Andrew Susac
4/15/12	San Jose (Giants)	Jose Valdez	Alex Burg
4/15/12	San Jose (Giants)	Jack Snodgrass*	Andrew Susac
4/19/12	San Jose (Giants)	Jose Valdez	Alex Burg
4/27/12	Modesto (Rockies)	Josh Slaats	Bryce Massanari
4/29/12	Modesto (Rockies)	Christian Bergman	Dustin Garneau
5/3/12	Lancaster (Astros)	R.J. Alaniz	R. Garcia
5/14/12	Stockton (Athletics)	Nathan Long	Max Stassi
5/15/12	Stockton (Athletics)	Jose Guzman	Beau Taylor
5/19/12	Lake Elsinore (Padres)	Jerry Sullivan	Rocky Gale
5/24/12	San Jose (Giants)	Justin Schumer	Andrew Susac
5/30/12	San Jose (Giants)	Hector Correa	Andrew Susac
6/1/12	San Jose (Giants)	Jack Snodgrass*	Andrew Susac
6/9/12	Modesto (Rockies)	Tyler Matzek*	Dustin Garneau
6/12/12	Stockton (Athletics)	Deivi Jimenez	Beau Taylor
6/12/12	Stockton (Athletics)	Nathan Long	Beau Taylor
6/21/12	Rancho Cucamonga (Dodgers)	Zach Lee	Chris O'Brien
6/25/12	Visalia (Diamondbacks)	Bradin Hagens	Raywilly Gomez
6/26/12	Visalia (Diamondbacks)	D.J. Johnson	Raywilly Gomez
6/28/12	Modesto (Rockies)	Kennil Gomez	Dustin Garneau
6/29/12	Modesto (Rockies)	Kraig Sitton*	Dallas Tarleton
7/14/12	Jacksonville (Marlins)	Bryan Evans	Kyle Skipworth
7/19/12	Mobile (Diamondbacks)	Kevin Munson	Rossmel Perez
7/20/12	Mobile (Diamondbacks)	Eury De la Rosa*	Rossmel Perez
7/22/12	Mobile (Diamondbacks)	Derek Eitel	Rossmel Perez
8/4/12	Huntsville (Brewers)	Ariel Pena	Anderson De La Rosa
8/6/12	Huntsville (Brewers)	Johnny Hellweg	Anderson De La Rosa
8/9/12	Chatanooga (Dodgers)	Aaron Miller*	Matt Wallach
8/10/12	Chatanooga (Dodgers)	Wes Roemer	Gorman Erickson
8/11/12	Chatanooga (Dodgers)	Zach Lee	Matt Wallach
8/12/12	Chatanooga (Dodgers)	Chris Reed*	Gorman Erickson
8/14/12	Mobile (Diamondbacks)	Derek Eitel	Rossmel Perez
8/18/12	Mobile (Diamondbacks)	Eury De la Rosa*	Rossmel Perez
* denotes lefthanded pitcher —compiled by J.J. Cooper and Conor Glassey

TOP 10 MINOR LEAGUE STOLEN BASE SEASONS
Player	Year	Team	Age	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG
Billy Hamilton	2012	Bakersfield/ Pensacola	21	121	469	105	149	21	14	2	44	147	33	.318	.415	.435
Vince Coleman	1983	Macon	21	113	446	99	156	8	7	0	53	145	31	.350	.431	.399
Donnell Nixon	1983	Bakersfield	21	135	542	116	174	27	4	4	51	144	24	.321	.391	.408
James Johnston	1913	San Francisco	24	201	749	111	228	34	4	2		124		.304		.368
Jeff Stone	1981	Spartanburg	20	134	516	108	143	13	9	3	53	123	13	.277	.368	.355
Alan Wiggins	1980	Lodi	22	135	513	108	148	10	5	0	35	120	25	.288	.390	.327
Allan Lewis	1966	Leesburg	24	131	542	92	156	11	5	0	33	116		.288		.327
Ralph Myers	1912	Spokane	25	159	630	122	205	29	4	0		115		.326		.384
Ovid Nicholson	1912	Frankfort	23	123	506	128	178	23	8	4		111		.352		.453
Marcus Lawton	1985	Columbia	20	141	567	118	158	22	16	4	66	111	11	.279	.390	.395
Chris Morris	2001	Peoria	21	134	480	89	141	11	9	2	39	111	24	.294	.398	.367