White Sox Part Ways With Billy Hamilton

Billy Hamilton's time in Chicago is over. The fan favorite was outrighted off the White Sox 40-man roster on Wednesday night.

Hamilton was a luxury the White Sox could not afford. The speedy outfielder could not hit, making him a liability in the lineup unless he was used late in games as a pinch runner. On a contending team with depth, Hamilton is a game-changer.

For a team lacking depth like the White Sox having a speed guy stashed on the bench is hard to justify, especially if it means sending down Clint Frazer. Frazier has been putting together really good at-bats for the White Sox and can also steal bases.

Frazier has a .244/.354/.293 slash line. Other than his .354 OBP, those numbers don't really jump off the page. But when you line them up next to Hamilton's Triple-A numbers, it makes sense why the White Sox chose to outright him.

Hamilton's slash line in Charlotte is .158/.294/.228. The White Sox called him up in early May, and he made an immediate impact. On May 2nd, he stole second base, then advanced to third after an excellent read on a ground ball, and nearly scored the go-ahead run.

The next night he entered the game as a pinch runner. On a 2-2 count, he took off to steal third. Elvis Andrus hit a slow grounder to the right side of the infield. Twins second baseman Jorge Polanco had to run to his field to field the ball. By the time he reached it, Hamilton was already rounding third. As soon as Polanco threw it to first, Hamilton made a mad dash to the plate, sliding in head-first to pick up a much-needed insurance run.

There are few players in the league that could have made that play. A few days later, he strained his left hamstring and landed on the 10-day injured list. He hasn't returned to the MLB roster since.

Hamilton was on a rehab start in Charlotte and ready to return. However, since the veteran outfielder has over five years of MLB service time, the White Sox were forced to carry him on the MLB roster or place him on waivers. They chose the latter.

It's a tough pill to swallow for the 32-year-old journeyman. When he first broke into the league, he was a star for the Reds, who played every day. But in just the last five years, he has played for seven different organizations, including two stints with the White Sox.

His .205/.262/.288 slash in 549 MLB plate appearances is going to make it difficult for him to find a home. While his defense is good, it is not good enough to outweigh the lack of production at the plate. However, he has stolen 49 bases on 58 attempts since 2019, so a contender may be willing to take a flier on him.