Billy Hamilton
Hamilton revolutionized the game of baseball, making the head-first slide, the first-to-third advance on a base hit, and the drag bunt staples of the game in the 1890s. He won two batting titles and his .344 career average is sixth on the all-time list. In 1894 he set a record that may never be topped, scoring 192 runs for the Phillies. With Philadelphia, he teamed with Sam Thompson and Ed Delahanty to form one of the greatest outfields of all-time. Despite his record-setting career, Hamilton did not earn entry to the Hall of Fame until 1961 — 21 years after his death and 60 years after he played his final game.
Played For
Kansas City Cowboys, American Association (1888-1889)
Philadelphia Phillies (1890-1895)
Boston Braves (1896-1901)
All-Time Rankings
Billy Hamilton ranks #9 among the Top 50 all-time at CF. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1894
He hit .404, which was third in his own outfield. He led the National League in OBP (.523), runs scored (192), walks (126), and steals (98). His run-scored total has never been approached.
Hamilton, Delahanty and Thompson
The 1890s Phillies were one of the most interesting teams in baseball history. From 1891-1895 they featured a Hall of Fame outfield of "Sliding Billy" Hamilton, "Big Ed" Delahanty and "Big Sam" Thompson. (Thompson was bigger than Delahanty by about 25 pounds and two inches in height, but Ed still earned the "Big" nickname). The Phillies were one of the best hitting clubs in baseball history, but they never transferred that success to wins. Their best finish was 3rd place in 1895. In 1893 the Phillies hit .301 and followed it up the next season with a .349 mark. In 1895 they hit .330 before their famed outfield was ripped apart in 1896 when Hamilton was dealt to the Beaneaters for third baseman Billy Nash. With Hamilton, the Bostons improved their team average to .300 and leapfrogged the Phillies in the NL standings. In their five seasons together, the three future Hall of Fame outfielders were #1, #2 and #3 in the NL in hits. Left fielder Delahanty hit .344 and drove in 560 runs, second to right fielder Thompson's 628, who hit .351 over the stretch. Hamilton was the table-setter, drawing walks (.475 OBP for the five-years), and scoring more runs (741) than any other player in baseball. "Sliding Billy" hit a league-best .368 while playing alongside the "Big Twins."
Most Runs Scored, Single Season
Billy Hamilton... 192 (1894)
Tom Brown... 177 (1891)
Babe Ruth... 177 (1921)
Lou Gehrig... 167 (1936)
Tip O'Neill... 167 (1887)
Where He Played
When Hamilton first became a regular outfielder in the American Association, he was a right fielder. The next season, his frist with Philadelphia, he was a left fielder, alongside colorful Billy Sunday in center field. By 1893, Hamilton was the center fielder, supplanting Delahanty, who had less speed and was moved to left. Hamilton played the bulk of his career (1893-1901) as baseball's best center fielder.
Born
William Robert Hamilton was born on February 16, 1866, in Newark, NJ.
Died
December 16, 1940, Worcester, MA
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
Primary Position: OF
Primary Team: PHI
Major League Debut
July 31, 1888
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1888
Coming soon...
Nicknames
Sliding Billy
Similar Players
None in his time. Rickey Henderson would be a similar type of player from more modern times.
Related Players
Sam Thompson and Ed Delahanty, who formed the slugging Phillies' outfield from 1891-1895... Billy Nash was traded straight up for Hamilton prior to the 1896 season.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1936 |
Veterans |
2 |
% |
1942 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.4% |
1961 |
Veterans |
|
% |
|
Feats
On August 31, 1894, in the midst of his greatest season, Hamilton stole an amazing seven bases in one game. The feat has never been surpassed in major league history. It should be noted that for much of Hamilton's career a stolen base was awarded when a baserunner advanced an extra base on a hit. So a first-to-third advancement on a single, was one stolen base for the lead runner. This rule was changed in 1898, and the present definition of a stolen base was implemented.
Notes
Only Barry Bonds, Ted Williams, John McGraw and Babe Ruth have ever reached base more frequently than Hamilton did in 1894 (52.3% of the time).
Hitting Streaks
36 games (1894)
Best Strength as a Player
Speed and daring on the basepaths.
Largest Weakness as a Player
His throwing arm.
Learn More about Billy Hamilton
Search Amazon.com for Books about Billy Hamilton ⇒
Search for Billy Hamilton at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
