Billy Hamilton Has Epiphany Or A Light Bulb Went On

Billy Hamilton does every thing fast.  He runs fast, he talks fast.

"Man I even eat fast," Hamilton told writers a few years ago.

The art of bunting, a tool for the fleet of foot in baseball, has eluded him in his Major League career.  Hamilton has been so concerned about running out his bunts that he either misses them or fouls them back.

Jim Riggleman asked him to squeeze with Tucker Barnhart on third base in a tight game.  The Reds had a 1-0 lead with Barnhart on third base and Anthony DeSclafani on first base with one out.  Hamilton was asked to lay down a squeeze bunt.  It required Hamilton to wait an instant longer to make sure he put the bunt down.   It was successful and pitcher Clay Buchholz threw the ball away.  DeSclafani scored on the play to give the Reds a 3-0 lead.

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"Most of the time when I bunt, I try to run out of there and I pop the ball up," Hamilton said.  "On the squeeze you have to get the ball down no matter what.  On the squeeze, you have to get the ball down, no matter what or you will leave whoever is coming from third in a bind. That showed me that if I stayed in and just put the ball down, I can make things happen.  I have to practice that more trying to get the ball down and then run."

Riggleman followed up on Hamilton's comments.

"I saw what he said and I liked the word he used.  He used the word put, instead of bunt," Riggleman said.  "That's kind of the terminology I've used with Billy since the year 12 (2012).  Delino DeShields talked to him about it, Barry Larkin's talked to him about it, Joe Morgan has talked to him about it but until he did it himself last night. He put the ball down instead of bunting it while he's moving.  Maybe that is going be the best way for it to stick to him."

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"When he's bunting for a hit, there's not a lot of surprise element there," Riggleman continued.  "They know he can run.  They know he may bunt.  It's going to be the quality of the bunt not the deception that is going to get him the base hit.  One of the things that I've mentioned, is when I was coaching in LA.  Dave Roberts (current Dodgers manager) was the best at bunting the ball down the first base line.  Dave could run but he couldn't run anything like Billy can.  He could put the ball right there, where the first baseman's coming, the pitcher's coming and it's a very tough play for them to make.  When Billy put the ball there last night, he realized that he wasn't really deceiving and he didn't wait a long time and he just beat it."

A player especially one with speed gets in the habit of thinking he has to do everything fast.  Do everything in a hurry but there are certain times in a game where patience is needed.

"Everything Billy does is quick twitch," Riggleman said. "This one he needs to slow down a little bit and his terminology is put it and not bunt it."

The moment led to the light switch coming on that there are times when a little hesitation is as effective as doing being fast.  It was a hard lesson to learn after being successful in carving out a big league career.  Even at this level, learning continues.

"It is tough," Hamilton said.  "I feel that is what has been messing me up my whole career. I don't realize how fast I am.  I try to bunt the ball and run at the same time and I'm fouling the ball off or not getting the ball down because I'm trying to rush it.  Tonight I stayed in there and got a bunt down. Now I know I can do that."

His postgame comments indicate that a valuable lesson has been learned.

"I read his comments and I'm glad he said it because hopefully in his pregame work, he will carry on with that," Riggleman said.  "One (successful bunt) in a game is worth 100 off a machine."

"The game speed, game situation for bunting against live Major League pitching, the timing the speed of the ball, the way it jumps off the bat is so different," Riggleman said.  "That's why it is so important to do it in a game in spring training.  But guys are trying to get their swing together, they don't want to give up an at bat to bunt.  They just have to do it.  Those game situations in spring training, if you do a few of them, you go into the season and say, 'I've got this.'  If you haven't done it all spring because you wanted to keep working on your swing,  you're not going to bunt during the season. You have to knock it out in spring training and go to the minor league fields on days you're not playing in the game and do it against professional pitching, game situations."

"You watch the Cubs play and you see (Kyle) Schwarber do it.  He takes his time.  The third baseman is playing where the shortstop is.  He puts the ball where he wants it and he's safe.  You have to do it in game situations though.  I was watching a game yesterday, I saw Bryce Harper do it and he fouled it off because he's thinking, I'm going to do this.  But he hasn't done all spring or all season. You're probably going to foul it off and say well I'm not going to do that again."