Hamilton's speed is impressive ... but if speed was everything, Herb Washington would have been a star.
So far, for all his speed, Hamilton is godawful -- a .143 BA, a .183 OBP, a .396 OPS and a 6 -- 6! -- IPS plus. That means his offensive production is six percent of an average ML baseball player. Even in the speed categories, he's not very good -- in 12 games, he's scored three runs and while he's stolen 2 bases, he's also been caught once -- and a 2-of-3 average is pretty average.
I know it's just 12 games, but he was pretty lousy at the plate last year in Triple A (.651 OPS).
PS As for Kimbrell's absence Monday night, it was for the same reason that the Phillies didn't use Papelbon -- both guys had pitched three straight games over the weekend and needed a rest. Frankly, I'm glad Freddie has that discipline -- he overused Kimbrell as a rookie and the kid had nothing left at the end of the season.