Billy Hamilton of the Chicago White Sox dives to score in the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field on May 03, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Former Major League Baseball outfielder Billy Hamilton signed with the Olmecas de Tabasco in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, the organization announced on Tuesday.
Hamilton, 33, was born in Taylorsville, Miss., and has played 11 seasons in MLB with the Cincinnati Reds from 2013-18, the Kansas City Royals in 2019, the Atlanta Braves in 2019, the New York Mets in 2020, the Chicago Cubs in 2020, the Chicago White Sox in 2021 and 2023, and the Miami Marlins and Minnesota Twins in 2022.
Hamilton elected free agency on Nov. 6, 2023 prior to signing with the Olmecas de Tabasco.
Last season on the South Side, the switch-hitter played in only three games with the White Sox and had two plate appearances, stole two bases, and struck out once. He signed a minor league contract with the White Sox on Dec. 19, 2022.
Hamilton was also placed on the 10-day injured list on May 10, 2023 with a left hamstring strain and was sent to Triple-A Charlotte June 6, 2023 for a rehab assignment.
Hamilton played in 28 games with Triple-A Charlotte and hit .147, recording 11 hits, three doubles, one triple, one home run, four RBI, three stolen bases, 11 walks, and 29 strikeouts before he was released on Aug. 22.
He signed a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 30 and was assigned to Triple-A Durham on Sept. 12.
Hamilton played in eight games with Durham to finish the r2023 regular season, hitting .300 with six hits and swiping five bases, three walks, and striking out six times.
In 2022, the Seattle Mariners signed Hamilton to a minor league contract on March 21, and assigned him to Triple-A Tacoma on April 12, 2022.
He played in 22 games with Tacoma and hit .186 with 16 hits, two doubles, five RBI, four stolen bases, nine walks, and struck out 25 times before he elected free agency on June 1, 2022.
Hamilton signed to a minor league contract with Miami on June 20, 2022 and was assigned to Triple-A Jacksonville on June 23, 2022. He played in one game in Jacksonville and batted .333 with one hit, one RBI, and striking out twice before the Marlins selected his contract on July 1, 2022.
Hamilton played in 20 games with Miami and hit .077 with one hit, swiped seven bases, walked once, and struck out eight times before he elected free agency on Aug. 13, 2022.
Minnesota signed Hamilton to a minor league contract on Aug. 27, 2022 and assigned him to Triple-A St. Paul on Aug. 30. Hamilton played in two games with St. Paul and batted .143 with a double, one stolen base, one walk, and four strikeouts prior to the Twins selecting his contract on Sept. 1.
Hamilton played in 17 games with Minnesota in 2022 and did not record a hit in eight plate appearances, but stole three bases, walked once, and struck out four times. He elected free agency on November 6, 2022.
Hamilton has played in two seasons overseas in Puerto Rico in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente, playing with the Leones de Ponce in the 2011-12 season and the Cangrejeros de Santurce in the 2013-14 season. In his two seasons in Puerto Rico, Hamilton played in 27 games, hitting .216 over 124 plate appearances with 15 hits, one double, one triple, seven RBI, 17 stolen bases, 11 walks, and 22 strikeouts.
During his 11 seasons in MLB, Hamilton has played in 951 games with a career average of .239 over 3,285 plate appearances with 713 hits, 109 doubles, 39 triples, 24 home runs, 189 RBI, 326 stolen bases, 230 walks, 708 strikeouts, and a .618 OPS.
The first game of the 2024 LMB regular season is scheduled for April 11, with the Diablos Rojos del México traveling to Puebla, Mexico, to take on the Pericos de Puebla at Estadio Hermanos Serdán.
The Olmecas de Tabasco will play the Piratas de Campeche on April 12 at home at Estadio Centenario 27 de Febrero in Villahermosa, Mexico. The game start times have not yet been announced.