Addison Russell robs Billy Hamilton with ridiculous backhand
Addison Russell’s first week with the Chicago Cubs hasn’t been nearly as buzzy as that of fellow top prospect Kris Bryant. But don’t worry, baseball fans, he’s still showing us flashes of the brilliance we expect to witness for the next 15 years
That includes this remarkable webgem from Friday night, which robbed Reds speedster Billy Hamilton of a sure hit.
With Hamilton batting in the fifth inning, Russell, who’s a shortstop by trade and a second baseman by necessity in Chicago, was playing pretty much straight up. That seemed to put him out of position when Hamilton laced a ground ball toward the middle that was ticketed for center field.
Honestly, with Hamilton’s crazy speed, the placement of the ball looked like a sure hit regardless of whether it actually squirted through the infield, but Russell had other ideas.
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From his position, Russell got a great read and better jump on the ball. With a few quick steps to his right, he actually manged to flag it down with a diving backhand. That was step one, which in and of itself was pretty good. From there, he quickly sprang to his feet and not only attempted the long throw, but got enough on it to nip Hamilton at first base.
That’s a special play that you simply won’t see happen to Hamilton very often.
If we’re allowed to go here, the play had some Ozzie Smith to it, as Russell dove, snatched the baseball and bounced back to his feet in one seemingly fluid motion. Only the Wizard of Oz could pull that off with any consistency, though obviously Atlanta Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons can make such magic as well.
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The Cubs anticipate getting many great years from Russell defensively, most likely from his more comfortable position at shortstop, where he might join the elite group of defenders that have come before him. In the mean time, they’re just happy to have him around and are happy knowing that the future had indeed arrived in Chicago.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
