All year long, Milwaukee Brewers fans and MLB analysts have sung the praises of the franchise's President of Baseball Operations, Matt Arnold, for seeing the vision when no one else did this offseason. While Kyle Harrison has been the crown jewel of the team's February trade with the Boston Red Sox, toolsy left-handed batter David Hamilton is rounding into form at a crucial time, putting an exclamation mark on those 'who won the trade' discussions.
A 28-year-old Texas native, Hamilton is in his fourth season in the majors and is still finding his place in the league. Switching between second base, third base and shortstop during that stretch, Hamilton has oftentimes been valued more for his defensive upside and speed than his batting ability.
However, after spending a few months in the Brewers' elite player development program, Hamilton is finding his way with the franchise that once drafted him in the 8th round of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft. After starting cold as ice with no home runs and a .223 batting average through his first 43 games of the season, Hamilton has found his footing with 10 hits, three homers and a .323 batting average in his last nine games before Sunday's matchup with Colorado.
Sustaining that level of success for the rest of the year is unrealistic, but if he can flip the script on his early-season and provide a steadier bat, Hamilton can be a massive difference-maker for Milwaukee.
Brewers' trade for David Hamilton and Kyle Harrison is aging like fine wine.
While the Kyle Harrison trade, as it has become, is already touted as one of the best of the entire MLB offseason, the emergence of David Hamilton takes that calculation to a whole new level. Hamilton has been somewhat of a constant in the Brewers' lineup with key players in and out with injuries all year long. He's getting the job done and living up to his name as a defender, but now that he's getting more confident at the plate, Hamilton could become a force for Milwaukee.
Sometimes, it just takes the right fit for a player to reach their potential. That seems to be the case for a lot of the journeymen who make their way to Milwaukee, as Jake Bauers can attest. Finding the right role for a player at that moment in their career can make all the difference, and that's been a crucial aspect of what makes Pat Murphy such an effective manager.
Hamilton might not be an everyday player for the Brewers when at full-strength, but that depth and attention to detail will work wonders for Milwaukee in the right matchups or when Murphy needs to lean into the team's defensive capabilities.
Let's hope that Hamilton is the next in a long line of success stories in Milwaukee this season.
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