Sebastian Elizalde hasn’t won the Mexican Winter League batting title yet, but he is getting closer and closer. The regular season comes to an end later this week, and then the playoffs will begin. The Reds outfield prospect has hit .424 over the last 10 games, boosting his average to .377 through 244 at-bats for Culiacan.
With a .377 average, Sebastian Elizalde currently leads the league in average by 17 points over Manny Rodriguez. The next closest hitter is Ramon Urias, who is hitting .332. Elizalde also leads the league in on-base percentage, by one point, with a .442 mark. His .525 slugging percentage ranks fourth in the league and his .967 OPS is second.
Last week the Reds extended a spring training invite to Sebastian Elizalde. The recently turned 26-year-old is doing his best to carry a hot bat into the spring to try and earn a roster spot. He showed much better control of the strikezone during winter ball. With Culiacan he has 27 walks and 29 strikeouts. In twice as many games with Louisville, Elizalde had 35 walks and 70 strikeouts in 2017.
Reds and Giants continue to discuss Billy Hamilton
At The Winter Meetings the rumors were flying that Billy Hamilton was the big trade target of the San Francisco Giants. The Cincinnati Reds weren’t against trading him, but the asking price was deemed too high.
Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports says that the Giants and Reds are continuing to talk. San Francisco has a huge need in center field. Billy Hamilton could be an incredible asset on defense for them, though his offense likely remains a big question mark. Pavlovic also notes that while the Giants seem like a decent fit for a guy like free agent Lorenzo Cain, the Giants reportedly don’t want to give up the required draft picks to sign him. That, at least for now, gives the Reds more leverage in the situation.