{"id":89423,"date":"2025-09-07T13:44:24","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T13:44:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=89423"},"modified":"2025-09-07T13:44:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T13:44:24","slug":"shocker-cubs-revive-ghost-of-speed-demons-by-signing-billy-hamilton-to-minors-deal-poised-to-unleash-postseason-chaos-while-rivals-panic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=89423","title":{"rendered":"Shocker: Cubs Revive Ghost of Speed Demons by Signing Billy Hamilton to Minors Deal, Poised to Unleash Postseason Chaos While Rivals Panic"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<header><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rantsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/hamilton-cubs-minior-league-780x470.jpg\" alt=\"Speedster Hamilton signs Minor League deal with Cubs - RantSports\" \/><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div>\n<p>The Cubs signed <strong>Billy Hamilton<\/strong> to a minor league contract last week, according to Hamilton\u2019s MLB.com profile page.\u00a0 The signing specifically took place on August 31, which means that Hamilton is eligible for a spot on Chicago\u2019s postseason roster.<\/p>\n<p>Hamilton (who turns 35 in two days) was assigned to the Cubs\u2019 Arizona Complex League team and hasn\u2019t yet seen any game action.\u00a0 It could be that Hamilton is simply being ramped up in a Spring Training-esque environment given that he hasn\u2019t played much in 2025, and hasn\u2019t taken part in affiliated baseball since 2023.\u00a0 The outfielder appeared in 132 games in 2024 between stints in the Mexican League and in winter league action, but he has played in just 10 games during the 2025 Mexican League season.<\/p>\n<p>A veteran of 11 Major League seasons from 2013-23, Hamilton is known for his excellent defense and incredible speed, with 326 career stolen bases (out of 398 attempts).\u00a0 Only <strong>Starling Marte<\/strong> has more steals since the start of the 2013 season, and Marte amassed his 349 steals with the benefit of over 500 more games than Hamilton.\u00a0 Despite those elite tools, Hamilton has never been much of a hitter, with only a .239\/.292\/.325 slash line to show for 3285 career plate appearances in the Show.<\/p>\n<p>After beginning his career as the Reds\u2019 regular center fielder, Hamilton\u2019s last few Major League seasons were largely spent bouncing around between several teams as defensive depth and as a pinch-running specialist.\u00a0 This includes a prior stint with the Cubs, and it was exactly five years ago today that Chicago claimed Hamilton off waivers from the Mets.\u00a0 Hamilton started only one of his 14 regular-season games in a Cubs uniform, and came off the bench again in one playoff game, as the Cubs were swept in two games during their wild card series with the Marlins.<\/p>\n<p>A similar role is surely in store for Hamilton if the Cubs decide to add him to their active roster.\u00a0 The Cubs have a sizeable lead in the NL wild card race and are looking like a virtual lock to reach the playoffs, allowing the team some flexibility in using September as a chance to get healthy and to decide on its optimal postseason roster.\u00a0 Chicago isn\u2019t exactly hurting for speed (ranking third in baseball with 142 steals) or outfield depth, but having Hamilton in the organization gives the Cubs yet another option to consider, especially if an injury arises.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p>View Comments (6)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With an eye towards a playoff roster, Chicago adds a pinch-running specialist. Visit MLB Trade Rumors for more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":89424,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[3438],"class_list":["post-89423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-billy-hamilton"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Shocker: Cubs Revive Ghost of Speed Demons by Signing Billy Hamilton to Minors Deal, Poised to Unleash Postseason Chaos While Rivals Panic - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=89423\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shocker: Cubs Revive Ghost of Speed Demons by Signing Billy Hamilton to Minors Deal, Poised to Unleash Postseason Chaos While Rivals Panic - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With an eye towards a playoff roster, Chicago adds a pinch-running specialist. 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