AKS
David Hamilton, IF
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Scouting report
In high school (he and Lutz were on the same Area Codes team), Hamilton was a terrific defensive shortstop with some feel to hit, but some teams didn't think his narrow frame would fill out in a way that would generate relevant power, so he ended up matriculating to Texas. He had a rough freshman year, then rebounded as a sophomore and was in the third to fifth round mix following his summer on the Cape. Then Hamilton tore his Achilles tendon and missed not only his junior year at Texas, but the entire summer as well. His first pro at-bats came during 2020 big league spring training and he wasn't able to suit up at an affiliate until 2021 as a 23-year-old at High-A. And while Hamilton’s performance demands scrutiny because he’s old for the level, he is off to an amazing start. He stole 31 bases in his first 43 games at an 86% success rate. At one point he hit homers in three consecutive games but pop isn't really part of the driving tools here. Instead it's speed, defense, and feel for contact (Hamilton is among the minor league leaders in SwingingStrike% at about 6%). Like Zamora behind him, he's more likely to be a utility type because of the lack of power, but might have a good enough hit tool to overcome that.