About Billy Hamilton (baseball, born 1990)
Billy Rayshun Hamilton (born September 9, 1990) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins, and Chicago White Sox. The Reds selected Hamilton in the second round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2013. He was originally a switch-hitter until the 2021 season, when he decided to become exclusively a right handed batter after a right oblique strain. Known for his exceptional speed, Hamilton holds the Minor League Baseball single-season stolen base record with 155 steals—10 higher than the previous Minor League record set by Vince Coleman. He also holds the Cincinnati Reds record for most stolen bases by a rookie in a season, and stole 230 bases from 2014 to 2017, the most of any player in MLB over that time period. He ranked third in steals among all MLB players in the 2010s with 299 steals in the decade. == Early career == === Amateur career === Hamilton attended Taylorsville High School in Taylorsville, Mississippi, where he was all-state in baseball, football and basketball. He was a top football prospect at wide receiver, signing a letter of intent to play college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. == Professional career == === Cincinnati Reds === ==== Minor leagues ==== The Cincinnati Reds selected Hamilton in the second round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.