SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Billy Hamilton looked like a man trying to make a big league team on Friday, putting his dazzling defense on display during the Mariners’ 2-1 loss the Rockies at Salt River Fields.
With one out in the seventh inning, the 31-year-old center fielder tracked down a sky-high fly ball from Colorado’s Elias Díaz, extended his body over the left-center field wall and made a stellar snag to rob a homer.
“It’s just one of those plays where you can’t practice it," said Hamilton. "It’s just something that's all instincts. I knew my job is to keep everything I can in the park.”
The ball had an 89 percent hit probability and an .890 expected batting average, and it would have been a homer in all 30 big league ballparks, per Statcast. The play also helped back top pitching prospect George Kirby in his final Cactus League outing.
“Off the bat, I thought it was gone," said Seattle manager Scott Servais. "Billy made some kind of catch and there's not many guys who can get back to the wall that quick to make that play. He’s some kind of athlete.”
Hamilton, who has an above-average glove over his nine seasons in the Majors, could give the Mariners defensive value if he breaks camp with the team. But with the club trending towards carrying three catchers, Hamilton could be the odd man out.
But that won’t stop him from making elite plays to change management’s mind.