Twins Claim RHP Ian Hamilton Off Waivers

[Nick Nelson]

The Minnesota Twins continued their early-February flurry of activity on Friday, when they claimed right-handed pitcher Ian Hamilton off waivers from the Phillies. Learn a little more about the newly acquired arm below.An 11th-round pick of the Chicago White Sox in 2016, Hamilton changed teams via waiver claim twice last year, first being picked up by the Mariners in September and then by Philadelphia in December. The Phillies waived him last week to make room on their 40-man roster for free agent catcher J.T. Realmuto.

 

At 6-foot-1 and 200 lbs, the 25-year-old Hamilton has worked exclusively as a reliever since joining the pro ranks. He has posted a 4.50 ERA and 9-to-7 K/BB ratio over 12 major-league innings, but his numbers in the minors are much better 3.24 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 9.7 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, with only 10 home runs allowed in 172 innings. He's got a big fastball that reaches the high 90s, and (you guessed it) a good slider, which averaged 89 MPH last season.

 

The Twins' 40-man roster is full (pending the yet-to-be-finalized signings of Nelson Cruz and Alex Colomé), so a corresponding move will need to be made. Check back soon for more details on that and on the Twins' new relief pitcher. In the meantime, let's here your thoughts on yet another addition this week for your Minnesota Twins.

 

MORE FROM TWINS DAILY

— Latest Twins coverage from our writers

— Recent Twins discussion in our forums

— Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

 

Click here to view the article

[ToddlerHarmon]

40 man is getting tight. On the bubble would seem to be Smeltzer, Gibault, Tortuga, Blankenhorn

[LewFordLives]

I assume it'll be a pitcher that gets DFAd. Including Colome, they already have 22 pitchers on the 40 man. Gibaut?  Maybe they can sneak him through waivers.

[Danchat]

Alright, I think that’s enough AAAA pitchers on the 40 man... I’d DFA Gibaut.

[Dman]

It has got to be Gibaut or Waddell.  They only need so many pitchers on the 40 man.  My vote is Gibaut but might be wrong as I think he has a good slider as well but you guessed it control problems.  HIs high WHIP is holding him back.  I like Waddells line a little better but both of those guys could be AAAA players as their stuff hasn't played well at the higher levels.  I guess we will know soon enough what the Twins think.

[LewFordLives]

And the Ian Hamilton news just got knocked off the front page.....It's an outrage!

[nicksaviking]

Maybe it's just because he was forced to wear a White Sox uniform, but he looks a bit dejected in that cover photo, which doesn't instill tons of confidence. I much prefer the photo of Colome.

[KFEY93]

 

40 man is getting tight. On the bubble would seem to be Smeltzer, Gibault, Tortuga, Blankenhorn

Hopefully Tortuga. Guy is a walking meme and a liability wherever he stands on the field. 

[Dman]

Of all the waiver claims stat wise this one is the best one this year.  At least this guy can throw strikes and his low WHIP means he doesn't walk many and doesn't give up tons of hits.  I wonder why other teams ahead of us didn't want to pick him up?  Too many full 40 man's?  IMO I think this was a decent pickup for a change.

[Seth Stohs]

The Twins could also just put Hamilton right back on waivers. They would have had a late waiver spot/position, so maybe they would just need to get him past a few more teams and then they could keep him in the organization on a minor league deal. 

 

 

[old nurse]

Mot so long ago Marcus Peery was a candidate, I wonder whatever happened to him

[Rigby]

 

Mot so long ago Marcus Peery was a candidate, I wonder whatever happened to him

 

Afraid he's a no go. Heard he was hanging out in Tibet with Sidd Finch.

[Shaitan]

 

The Twins could also just put Hamilton right back on waivers. They would have had a late waiver spot/position, so maybe they would just need to get him past a few more teams and then they could keep him in the organization on a minor league deal. 

 

The MLB transaction rules never cease to amaze me.

[Joey P]

I like the look of his mechanics. Very smooth. He seems to have good cutting movement on his fastballs too. He throws hard, but not flat and with smooth mechanics. This is the recipe for long term success. 

[TopGunn#22]

I'd still like to see a Paxton signing so I'd vote for Tortuga.  With Rortvedt getting close I'd rather hang onto Blankenhorn and Gordon for now.

[DasBat]

I’d let Astudillo go. Sign a defensive catcher to a minor league contract as insurance if Rortvedt isn’t ready to fill in

[Splash]

40 man is getting tight. On the bubble would seem to be Smeltzer, Gibault, Tortuga, Blankenhorn

Blankenhorn won’t get cut. Gotta think it’ll be Gibault or Tortuga, maybe an outside chance it’s Smeltzer or Thorpe

[ashbury]

Blankenhorn won’t get cut. Gotta think it’ll be Gibault or Tortuga, maybe an outside chance it’s Smeltzer or Thorpe

No mention of Waddell in this list? I think he's on a par with Gibaut as a DFA candidate.

 

[twinfan]

Don't know much about Tortuga, whom everyone doesn't like, but this guy seems to have some potential for a minor helper. Not enough big league innings to say if he'd be any good but he's still young.

[Dman]

Personally I don't think it will be Tortuga.  If they have injuries his versatility is too nice an asset to remove.  I don't remember who said it but someone on the board mentioned it and I agree that the Twins don't need three relief pitcher Slider plus pitch waiver claims on the 40 man.  One of them needs to go.  Colina and Chalmers are essentially the same type of pitcher as those three so there is plenty of redundancy there.  I think it will be Gibaut or Waddell I have no idea who they like better Waddell looks more like a normal pitcher but from what I read Gibaut supposedly has wicked spin on his slider.  IMO it really needs to be one of those guys.

[DocBauer]

Kinda feels like we signed a waiver wire clone of Shaun Anderson but with a little less ML experience. And that's not a knock just an observation. EVERY team takes fliers on guys EVERY year. The difference is how smart your scouts and FO people are, and what your staff does with them.

 

Example #1: The previous might have "blown it" by letting Hendricks go while he still had options. And that's a mystery we will never have an answer to because that previous FO did a great job of transitioning internal arms to the pen previously. But we also have to remember, it took more than a couple of years before Hendricks found himself as a RP.

 

Example #2: If everyone was always right, the Twins never would have added Berenguer, Atherton, Willis, Gurierr (sp?) back in the day. And that's just a couple older examples I bring up simply because Hendricks has been in the news/conversation as of late. There are, of course, many other examples, including some recent ones, but the salient point is quality bullpen arms come from a lot of places.

 

Some are drafted/developed in the minors. Some are "failed" SP who become quality relievers. Some are guys who fail at the ML level and bounce around and then figure something out and turn out to be good/great bullpen arms.

 

Interesting thought by Seth Hamilton could be passed immediately through waivers and pass a couple more teams and remain in the organization. But the debate still exists as to a 40 man crunch for Hamilton or anyone else.

 

Whether it's a small move or a major move, I believe a SP candidate will be brought on board. Depth and competition are important. The recent additions/moves regarding Anderson and Hamilton would SEEM to indicate the FO is done in the pen. But are they really? We've seen a number of moves made in February previously and there are still decent options out there looking for work.

 

Any combination of Gibault, Waddell, Anderson or Hamilton being run through waivers with the intent/hope of retaining them are a viable option for an addition or two. Whether you like him or not, Astudillo is probably not one of their first choices. Again, whether you like him or not, he has versatility, has shown the ability to hit at the ML level, and can at least field everything be gets to and get in front of the ball for the ones he can't. That may sound like a gross understatement to support the abilities of a ML player, but it's really not if you've watched enough baseball in your life, lol.

 

Point is, there's still room to add to the 40 man.

[Shaitan]

Could be any of the waiver wire claims.

 

I don't think it will be Tortuga. He has another full year of options, the FO loves versatility and he was used as a pinch-hitter in a playoff game, which is a sign that at least Rocco likes him.

[LylesCrocodiles]

Maybe a big trade is coming

[miracleb]

When do we find out if he cleared waivers?

[Major League Ready]

 

When do we find out if he cleared waivers?

 

7 Days

[miracleb]

TY MLR

[AlwaysinModeration]

The Twins could also just put Hamilton right back on waivers. They would have had a late waiver spot/position, so maybe they would just need to get him past a few more teams and then they could keep him in the organization on a minor league deal.

Ding ding