David Hamilton hitting .337 over last 30 games, showing off his speed and ability to hit the fastball
David Hamilton is known for his blazing speed and for setting single-season stolen base records for both the Portland Sea Dogs (70) and the WooSox (57) in back-to-back years.
While his speed is his best tool, Hamilton also has some power in his bat, hitting 39 homers during his time in the minors (328 games). WooSox skipper Chad Tracy called Hamilton’s power “sneaky” and raved about the pop in his bat last season.
Hamilton is finally showing off his speed and his bat at the big league level with regular playing time. Over the last 30 games, the 26-year-old has hit .337/.379/.539/.918 with three homers, seven doubles, one triple, and 11 stolen bases in 12 opportunities while owning a 155 wRC+, 6.3% walk percentage, and 22.1 strikeout percentage (95 plate appearances).
“I like to think I have more than just one tool,” Hamilton said to reporters following the Red Sox 8-6 win over the Phillies on Wednesday night. “That’s definitely my best tool, but I’ve got a couple others.”
Hamilton crushed a two-run homer to right field in the sixth inning off Phillies reliever Spencer Turnbull. The 399-foot, 104.2-mph blast padded the Red Sox lead.
“I was really trying to hit it back up the middle, but hit it pretty good,” Hamilton said.
The Texas native struggled in the bigs, going just 4-for-33 (.121 batting average) in 15 games for Boston last year. He went just 10-for-49 (.204) to start off this season after Boston recalled him from Worcester on April 6 following the season-ending injury to Trevor Story.
Hamilton credits his turnaround to spending time in the batting cage and trying to learn as much as possible from teammates and coaches.
“I wasn’t playing that much. So I was just trying to learn as much as possible,” Hamilton said. “Get in people’s heads; see what they were thinking.”
Defensively, Hamilton still has some warts, but offensively, he is playing with confidence and looks like a completely different hitter. He’s barreled five swings and is hitting fastballs, posting a .312 batting average. All four of his home runs have come off the fastball.
“He can hit a fastball,” Alex Cora said. “And against a lefty, he got one and got another one later on for the homer.... He’s understanding what he needs to do. The more he plays, the better he is, the more confidence he’s gaining. It’s been fun to watch.”