Just before Major League Baseball headed into its first lockout in 26 years, the Red Sox traded outfielder Hunter Renfroe to the Brewers for former Gold Glove winner Jackie Bradley Jr.
Boston acquired two minor league prospects along with Bradley: corner infielder Alex Binelas and shortstop David Hamilton. Each was listed as a top-20 prospect in the Brewers organization.
Here are a few things to know about each player:
Alex Binelas
Binelas is a 21-year-old lefthanded batter who played mostly third base (and sometimes first base) during his collegiate and minor league career. In his first professional season — which he split between rookie and Single A levels of the minors — Binelas hit .309 with 9 home runs in 36 games.
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He was happy to be drafted by his local team
A native of Oak Creek, Wis., Binelas had to drive only 15 miles to see the Brewers when he was growing up.
Initially selected as a 35th-round pick in 2018 by the Nationals, Binelas decided to go to college instead. After three years at Louisville, his hometown team picked him in the third round in 2021.
DREAMS COME TRUE!
— Oak Creek HS Baseball (@ocreekbaseball) July 12, 2021
Good things do happen to good people and everything happens for a reason! @AlexBinelas13 is a Milwaukee @Brewers! Special moment for a special kid and family! Love you buddy! @Amybinelas2 @athenabinelas pic.twitter.com/lSBXN3pgM2
He’s a power-hitting lefthanded batter
Binelas smashed 14 home runs in 59 games as a freshman at Louisville in 2019, totaling an impressive .994 OPS.
Here he is hitting for the cycle that season:
A fractured bone in his wrist limited him in 2020 prior to the pandemic shutdown. Binelas came back and hit 19 home runs in his junior season prior to leaving for the draft.
Though the scouting report on him is that he “lacks an obvious defensive home,” Binelas’s ability to hit for power from the left side of the plate makes him an intriguing prospect for Boston.
David Hamilton
Hamilton, 24, was an eighth-round pick by Milwaukee in 2019. In 2021, he hit .258 with 8 home runs and 11 triples in 101 games across multiple minor league levels.
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He missed the 2019 season after a scooter accident
As a junior in 2019, Hamilton was one of the Texas Longhorns’ best players. But he ended up missing the season after rupturing an Achilles’ tendon in January. The reason for the injury, according to Texas head coach David Pierce, was a scooter accident.
He has elite speed
Post-injury, Hamilton recovered the base-stealing ability that has become one of his standout attributes.
Playing for a Roger Clemens-managed independent league team in 2020 (since minor league seasons were canceled because of the pandemic) Hamilton stole 20 bases in 20 attempts.
In his first full year in the minors, Hamilton stole 52 bases.