100 Greatest Phillies: 13 – Billy Hamilton

Billy Hamilton
Outfielder
1890-1895

Career w/Phillies: .360 AVG / 23 HR / 367 RBI / 508 SB

“Sliding Billy” sounds like an appropriate nickname for Billy Hamilton, a thieving outfielder with an elite bat who gave the Phillies six unbelievable seasons in the late 1880s. His biggest claim to fame? The single-season run-scoring record: An unapproachable 192. He came to the Phils after being purchased from the Kansas City Cowboys for close to $6,000 in 1890. He instantly made his mark, stealing 102 bases in 123 games in 1890 while scoring 133 times. He regularly scored over 130 runs per season, while at times ascending far above 50 stolen bases per season. He was a two-time batting champion, a four-time on base champ while a Phillie and a regular walk king. His career .455 on-base mark is fourth all time behind Ted Williams, Babe Ruth and John McGraw. His 912 steals are third best ever behind Rickey Henderson and Lou Brock. Obviously, Billy Hamilton is a legend.

Comment: If Hamilton played his entire career for the red and white, he would’ve been easily a top five player. As it stands, Hamilton’s unreal combination of hitting and running is unmatched in franchise history — he’s a definite baseball legend and one of the great forgotten Phils.

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.