Billy’s back!

If you were having a bad Saturday, this most recent news might turn it around.

Scott Merkin reported this afternoon that fan favorite Billy Hamilton is returning to the White Sox, on a minor league deal. This deal includes a non-roster invitation to Spring Training.

Hamilton, 31, spent the 2021 season with the White Sox and quickly won over the hearts of fans with his goofy, feel-good attitude and solid overall play.

With the 2022 White Sox outfield set defensively with the likes of Andrew Vaughn, Gavin Sheets, Eloy Jiménez and Leury García, there was clearly no need to bring Hamilton back last summer, so Billy spent the 2022 season with three different organizations (Mariners, Marlins, and Twins). In total, he appeared in 37 games (six starts) and had just one hit over 20 at-bats, fulfilling a pinch-running/defensive replacement role. However, he swiped 10 bases and scored 13 runs, and it only seemed like every one of them came vs. the White Sox.

Who knows, Rick Hahn may have heard fans’ pleadings, because this outfield addition comes one day after the Andrew Benintendi deal.

If brought up to the major league club, Hamilton adds depth in the outfield and speed on the bases. With the new base-running rules in place for 2023 (bigger bases and limited pickoff attempts by pitchers), look for the still-speedy Hamilton to be a very dangerous weapon on the White Sox in 2023.

Please enjoy some tweets from a few happy fans. Welcome back, Billy!