Billy Hamilton is at it again. In a game versus the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, the Cincinnati Reds prospect, who might give Barry Allen a run for his money if ever given the chance, hit his second inside-the-park home run in the last two years. Let's watch the video.
(Gotta love watching the center fielder give up on the ball like that!)
Last year, Hamilton set the record for single-fastest trot ever recorded by the Tater Trot Tracker with his 13.8 second inside-the-park home run sprint (the video is here). Monday's sprint wasn't quite as fast as that legendary run, but it was still top-notch. In fact, at 14.15 seconds, Hamilton's trot is still faster than any major league inside-the-park home run hit since the start of the Tater Trot Tracker era in 2010 (unless you count this Peter Bourjos four-base single). The 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 leader boards can be found in the side-bar to the right.
Earlier this year, Todd Helton became the latest member of the 30-second club by taking an excruciating 31.54 seconds to round the bases on a long home run in Coors Field. Compared to Monday's trot, Hamilton could run around the bases twice and be well on his way to first base for a third time in the span it took Helton to round the bases that one time. I'm not sure if that says more about Hamilton or Helton, however.
According to the official game story from MiLB.com, this is Hamilton's fourth inside-the-park home run of his minor league career. As mentioned above, number three is currently the single-fastest trot time for any player rounding all four bases. In 2011, Hamilton also ran out a home run, this time on a muddy field in Dayton. That trot clocked in at 14.22 seconds (see the video here). There does not appear to be any video of the inside-the-park home run he hit in 2010 while playing for the Billings Mustangs.
Click here for the ongoing 2013 Tater Trot Tracker Leaderboard. You can also follow @TaterTrotTrkr on Twitter for more up-to-the-minute trot times.
