(Photo of David Hamilton courtesy of his Instagram)
By Kieran Wilson
David Hamilton, a member of the 2018 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox on June 21.
Hamilton hails from San Marcos, Texas and was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim out of San Marcos High School in the 28th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. However, he elected to attend college at the University of Texas at Austin.
While at Texas, Hamilton primarily played shortstop. As a sophomore in 2018, he was named to the All-Big 12 second team and the Austin Regional All-Tournament Team. That year, he also slashed .291/.404/.445 while hitting five home runs, six triples, and stealing 31 bases.
During the summer of 2018, he played for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. In 17 games, he hit for a .200 average with two doubles and 11 stolen bases, while playing shortstop and second base. Y-D manager, Scott Pickler said, “He wasn’t here for very long, but he was very, very fast.”
In the 2019 MLB Draft, Hamilton was selected in the 8th round by the Milwaukee Brewers. He remained in their minor league system until 2021, when he and Jackie Bradley, Jr. were traded to Boston to for Hunter Renfroe.
Hamilton was called up from Triple-A Worcester on June 21, and entered the game in the eighth inning as a pinch runner. He stole second base and later scored the tying run in a game against the Minnesota Twins.
Hamilton’s greatest strength is almost certainly his speed, having stolen 70 bases last year in Double-A and 27 this year in Triple-A before being called up.
The following day, Hamilton recorded his first major league hit: a single off of Minnesota’s Joe Ryan. He has started six games for Boston, and seems to be the club’s starting shortstop for the immediate future.
