Zack Cozart provided one of the high points of the Cincinnati Reds' season -- non-Scooter Gennett division -- on May 24, when he delivered the game-winning, two-run single off Cleveland Indians closer Cody Allen in the ninth inning at Progressive Field.
Under typical circumstances, a clutch hit of that magnitude off an elite closer would have made Cozart the focus of the postgame celebration. But when Reds beat writers entered the clubhouse after the game, they were more interested in talking about teammate Billy Hamilton, who scored all the way from first base, without a slide, on the hit to account for the winning run. Poor Cozart, who's quietly having a marvelous year at shortstop, felt a little bit like Sergio Garcia's caddie after the final hole at the Masters.
"The headlines said, 'Billy saves the Reds.' And I was like, 'Well, technically I got the hit,'" Cozart said, laughing.
Hamilton, 26, has been an intriguing test case since his big league debut in 2013 because of his incredible speed and projections of what he might achieve if he could harness it offensively. The Reds and the statistical community wonder how many bases he might steal and runs he would score if he could find a way to consistently reach first base.
Hamilton's evolution as a hitter has been a mixed bag, but there's no denying his efficiency: If he can cover the 90 feet from home plate to first base, he's a strong threat to go the full 360.
Hamilton is tied for 11th in the majors with 40 runs even though he ranks 127th among 171 qualifying hitters with a .305 on-base percentage. If he continues at his current pace, he'll finish the season with about 109 runs. Since the start of the live ball era in 1920, only two players (Tony Armas of the 1984 Boston Red Sox and Hughie Critz of the 1930 Reds and New York Giants) have scored 105 runs in a season in which they logged an OBP of .305 or worse.
In Hamilton's world view, any time on the bases is unfulfilled if the journey doesn't end with his foot touching home plate. He has a youthful energy that's refreshing, and when he says individual numbers are irrelevant compared with team goals, it comes across as more than just eye-wash.
"I can get as many stolen bases as I want, but if I don't score runs, it doesn't do anything for the team,'' Hamilton said. "If I score runs, it puts points on the board. And you need points on the board to win.''
Any conversation with Hamilton's teammates invariably strays to mad dashes around the bases or frantic sprints in the outfield that test the limits of StatCast. Reds catcher Tucker Barnhardt recalls a California League game in 2012 in which Hamilton tagged up and scored on a pop fly to the second baseman in shallow right field. Reds coach Freddie Benavides, similarly, remembers the day in spring training when Hamilton raced out from shortstop and caught a ball at the warning track.
Hamilton's 270-foot sprint on Cozart's single in Cleveland wasn't even a first. In a game against Milwaukee last season, while running with the pitch, he scored from first base on a single by Joey Votto.
"He's a freak of nature, in the nicest way possible,'' Barnhardt said. "He does stuff like that on a week-to-week basis. I didn't think he could do something to impress me even more, and then it goes to another level.''
The obsession with Hamilton's natural gifts overshadows the tinkering he does each day to squeeze every drop out of his ability. While his speed contributes greatly to his prowess as a run-scoring machine, he's getting better at the process because he's so diligent.
• Before each series, Hamilton scours the printouts from Reds catching coach Mike Stefanski and bullpen catcher Dustin Hughes with pitchers' delivery times, catchers' "pop'' times and other relevant information. After stealing successfully on only 56 of 79 attempts as a rookie, Hamilton has converted on 143 of 164 attempts, for an otherworldly 87.2 percent success rate. His 28 stolen bases this season exceed the total output for 13 MLB teams.
Unlike some base stealers who like to have a pitch or two or three to read the pitcher's move and build a lead, Hamilton doesn't have a trace of diva in him. He tells Cozart, Votto and the other hitters behind him in the order to approach their at-bats as usual with no consideration of how it might affect his game.
"I tell them, 'Don't worry about me. I'm going to get my bags regardless,''' Hamilton said. "If it's a ball down the middle and they hit it, perfect. If they foul it off, perfect. And if they swing and miss, perfect. It don't matter to me. I think guys appreciate stuff like that.''
• Speed guys are supposed to hit the ball on the ground, at least in theory, yet Hamilton's 43.6 percent ground ball rate ranks 85th among MLB hitters this season. Conversely, his 27.0 percent line drive is fourth-highest in the majors, behind Miguel Cabrera, Keon Broxton and DJ LeMahieu.
At 6-foot, 160 pounds, Hamilton can hit the ball with only so much oomph. His 78.7 mph exit velocity is third-lowest among MLB regulars. Unlike others who score runs without a high on-base percentage, Hamilton doesn't drive himself in via the home run. But he approaches each at-bat with a goal of hitting the ball on a line, under the theory that mishits will result in balls on the ground.
Through his pregame work with Votto and constant interactions with hitting coaches Don Long and Tony Jaramillo, Hamilton has also grown more comfortable working counts and hitting with two strikes. His pitches per plate appearance have increased from 3.69 to 3.85 to 4.18 since 2015.
"Tony says to me, 'You're one of those guys who does everything fast. You run fast and you talk fast,''' Hamilton said. "He told me, 'I don't care if you talk so fast, no one understands you at all. But when you're in that box, you've got to slow everything down and let the game come to you.''
• Since his rookie year in 2014, when he laid down 15 bunt singles, Hamilton has been more discerning with the bunt as an offensive weapon. He has only four bunt hits this season, but he's keeping the tactic in his back pocket when the opportunity arises.
"As long as I get my line-drive hits, I'll push them back a little bit,'' Hamilton said. "Once they go back, then I can start bunting. People are like, 'Oh, he's not bunting,' but it's a long season. I'll get my bunt hits. Trust me.''
Between that .252 batting average and .305 OBP, Hamilton has some work to do as an offensive threat. But his impact on the game is palpable when he's at the plate and the third baseman moves in 10 feet and the other infielders are on high alert. The sense of urgency is ramped up even more when he reaches first base and pitchers and catchers have to be conscious of his every move.
"I don't know if it's necessarily a mental thing where they're like, 'Oh, Billy is on first,''' Cozart said. "But you'll see the pitcher pick over two times, then slide-step as fast as he can, then pick over again. The rhythm of the game gets all out of whack, in essence, because teams have to pay so much attention to him. I just say they shouldn't bother paying attention, because they have no chance getting him anyway.''
Those pregnant pauses at first base waiting for the action to unfold are mere pit stops in Billy Hamilton's master plan. In the back of his mind, he's always rounding third and heading for home.