Darryl Quinn Hamilton (December 3, 1964 – June 21, 2015) was an American professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1988 and 2001 for the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies, and New York Mets. Hamilton prepped at Louisiana State University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge and then attended Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana.
Baseball career
Milwaukee Brewers
Hamilton was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 11th round of the 1986 Major League Baseball draft and signed a contract with them on June 12, 1986. He made his professional debut that season with the Helena Gold Sox of the Rookie-level Pioneer League, hitting .391 in 65 games. In 1987 with the Stockton Ports of the Class A California League, he hit .328 in 125 games with eight homers and 61 RBI, on a team that was rated one of the top farm teams in Brewers history. He began 1988 with the Denver Zephyrs of the Class AAA American Association, where he hit .325 in 72 games.
Hamilton made his MLB debut on June 3, 1988, as a defensive replacement for Robin Yount in the top of the seventh against the California Angels. In his first at-bat, in the bottom of the inning, he singled to center field off of Stew Cliburn of the Angels for his first major league hit. He hit his first home run off of Bret Saberhagen of the Kansas City Royals on July 19, 1988. In 44 games with the Brewers during the second half of the 1988 season, Hamilton hit .184. His most notable moment that season was during his first start in left field, on September 3, he collided with shortstop Dale Sveum while chasing a blooper over third base. They collided with such force that Sveum's leg snapped, causing him to miss the rest of the season and all of the 1989 season and derailing his career. Hamilton avoided injury but spent the entire 1989 season back in the minors with the Zephyrs, where he hit .286 in 129 games.
In 1990, despite missing time with injuries, Hamilton played in 89 games and hit .295. He was awarded with the Brewers "Unsung Hero Award" in 1990 and the "Good Guy Award" in 1991 when he hit .311 in 122 games while still dealing with an assortment of injuries.
Hamilton stole 41 bases for the Brewers in 1992, while hitting .298 in 128 games. The Brewers as a team stole 256 bases, which was almost 100 more than the second place American League (AL) team. In a game on August 28, 1992, the Brewers set an AL record by recording 31 hits in a single game in a 22–2 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays. Hamilton had four hits and five RBI in that game.
When long-time Brewer star Paul Molitor left via free agency before the 1993 season, Hamilton became more important to the Brewers offense. He had some more injuries this season, but Hamilton still led his team in batting average (.310), hits (161), singles (130) and stolen bases (21) and was awarded with the team's "Harvey Kuenn Award."
The Brewers decision to move Hamilton from right field into center field for the 1994 season contributed to Hall of Famer Robin Yount's decision to retire after the 1993 season.
In 1994, Hamilton played in only 36 games (hitting .262) before he was shut down for the season and underwent reconstructive elbow surgery. Despite missing most of the season, the Milwaukee chapter of the Baseball Writers Association voted him the recipient of the "Michael Harrison Award" for community service. Hamilton was also one of the Brewers player representatives during the leadup to the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike.
In his final season as a member of the Brewers, in 1995, Hamilton played in 112 games and hit .271 with 11 stolen bases. In his seven seasons with the team, he had an overall .290 batting average in 666 games and hit 23 home runs, drove in 253 RBI and stole 109 bases. After the 1995 season, the Brewers declined Hamilton's $2.5 million contract option, making him a free agent. Hamilton filed a grievance against the Brewers, claiming that he was benched in the weeks of the season in order to keep him from reaching 550 plate appearances which would have automatically picked up the option. The grievance was resolved in an undisclosed negotiated settlement.
