Let's tackle the second one first. I had a FANTASTIC time at Ron Shandler's Arizona Fall League Symposium and I learned a lot about the prospects and about MLB veterans. The discussions were very good this year and there were several drafts over the weekend -- including 2 NFBC Draft Champions Leagues -- that provided more interaction than ever before. And then of course the games were just a joy, especially when the weather is 88 degrees every day, seats are plentiful and the ballparks are so cool. I just totally enjoyed it and one way or another I'll be at the AFL every year going forward until I die!! I love it that much.
When we got to Saturday's Rising Stars Game a bit early, my partners were Eric Karabell of ESPN.com and Steve Gardner of USA Today. They told me to find a good spot to sit, so with the game being on national TV and seats available I sat RIGHT BEHIND HOME PLATE, 2nd row. Eric was a bit embarrassed to be there, but I told him we were scouting the prospects and this was the place to be. They were incredible seats and you could see everything. As we found out on Twitter, people in the industry also recognized us and I think my moustache was trending on Twitter that night!!
VERY FUNNY STUFF!!But seriously, it was great to see these future major-leaguers up close and there's no doubt many of these guys will be stars soon. Look at the numbers through 20 years of the AFL:
** 182 AFL players have been named to the MLB All-Star team, including 37 in 2012. Fall Leaguers have also won 10 MVPs, 3 Cy Youngs, 3 World Series MVPs, 8 All-Star Game MVPs, 22 rookies-of-the-year, 9 batting titles, 7 home run champions and more.
** Approximately 60 percent of AFL players -- over 2,100 -- have become major leaguers, including 68 players from a year ago.
It's pretty cool to think that almost every player from the Rising Stars Game will have a cup of coffee in the majors. So I wanted to pay close attention to them and from the 2nd row I was as close as I could get.
The player who has stood out this AFL season and who certainly stole the show -- literally -- on Saturday was Cincinnati's Billy Hamilton. I said this on SiriusXM this morning and I'll say it again: Hamilton provided as much electricity in that stadium as I've seen one person do it since maybe Mark McGwire in 1998. You just paid close attention to his every move and when he got on base the place was electric, just waiting for his next move. It was an incredible feeling, something you don't always get at a laid back baseball game.
As many of you know, Hamilton broke the minor-league record for stolen bases in a single season this past year with 155. That's right, 155 stolen bases. The old record of 143 was set by Vince Coleman in 1983. Hamilton hit .311 between High-A Bakersfield and Double-A Pensacola with 2 home runs, 22 doubles, 14 triples, 45 RBI, 86 walks and 112 runs scored. He was the California League MVP and a Future Games participant. He hit .323-1-30 with 104 stolen bases at Bakersfield and then hit .286-1-15 with 51 stolen bases at Pensacola. He attempted 192 stolen bases last year in 132 games and his success rate was 81 percent. He had stolen 103 bases the year before at Class A Dayton. He walked enough last year to finish with an OBP of .413 at Bakersfield and .406 at Pensacola.
Hamilton was chosen in the 2nd round (57th overall pick) in 2009 out of Taylorsville (Miss.) High School as a shortstop. He played shortstop last year, but the Reds are converting him to a centerfielder and that's where he's playing in the AFL. He definitely needs seasoning in the minors this year, but he made a really nice running catch in left-center on Saturday night and certainly is athletic enough to handle the new position. In fact, at 6'1" and 160 pounds, he looks like a natural in the outfield.
In the AFL so far, he's hitting .275 with one home run, 9 RBIs, 10 runs and 9 stolen bases in 11 attempts. His OBP is .356 as he's walked 7 times and struck out 9 times. All of that is in 14 games and 51 at-bats.
He was the leadoff hitter on Saturday night for the West Division team and in the bottom of the first inning he walked and quickly stole second base despite a strong throw from the Yankees' Austin Romine. Then as he danced around second base, he stole third when Romine threw the ball back to starting pitcher Jarred Cosart. It was a play you used to see in Little League ball. The crowd went crazy after he did that and he even faked a steal of home plate. He had a big enough jump to successfully do it, but went back. The crowd was electric.
He then made a perfect bunt in his second at-bat for a base hit. Keith Law of ESPN.com said he was timed at 3.47 seconds down the first base line, the fastest recording he could ever remember. Hamilton later scored again as he scored twice, walked twice, got a hit, drove in a run and made a fantastic outfield catch. He had the entire crowd abuzz and would have been the game's MVP had Brian Goodwin not done even better on the winning team. Goodwin is going to be a good leadoff hitter, but Hamilton could be a GREAT one.
"Could" is the magic word there. He still needs to hit enough to get on base, but the possibilities are interesting. Think about how a player like Hamilton could change the dynamics of fantasy baseball. This past year, you really needed only 180 stolen bases to finish 3rd or 4th in your league in that category. If Hamilton could steal 100+ bases in the majors, he could dominate a category on his own, even moreso than when Tim Raines or Vince Coleman or Rickey Henderson reached that level. Back then, more players were running; today nobody steals 70+ bases. In fact, the last player to top 80 stolen bases in a single season was Rickey Henderson in 1988. That was 25 years ago!! Amazing.
I'm keeping my eyes on Hamilton and hoping that the Reds give him a chance in the next year. He can't be much worse than Drew Stubbs, can he? Let's give him a full year in the minors and see what comes out of Triple-A next year. I know he's going to be drafted in NFBC Draft Champions Leagues and he probably will be a late pick in NFBC Main Event Leagues, but he still needs a little seasoning. But I'm convinced that he could be THE next big thing and I'm ready for him. He put a buzz in me and in the 5,700+ fans in attendance last week and I won't soon forget it. Speed kills and in fantasy baseball Hamilton could kill that SB category all by himself. How exciting would that be? And how valuable would that make Hamilton? Damn, I can't wait to find out.
Does anyone have any other thoughts on Hamilton? Let's see 'em. Thanks all.
(Wow!). He could very easily fly up the draft boards similar to Dee Gordon last year if he wins a job in spring training.