Mariners claim RHP Ian Hamilton, who played at WSU, from White Sox

The Mariners have just four games left this season, but that doesn’t mean general manager Jerry Dipoto is done making moves. On Friday, the team announced that it had claimed right-handed pitcher Ian Hamilton, a Washington native who played college ball at WSU for the Cougars, off waivers from the Chicago White Sox.

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Hamilton, 25, was designated for assignment last week after pitching in four gamesin relief in 2020, posting a 4.50 ERA (two runs in four innings) with four strikeouts. He will be assigned to Triple-A Tacoma, and the Mariners’ 40-man roster is now at 38.

After playing three years at WSU – two as a reliever and his junior year as a starter – Hamilton was drafted by the White Sox in the 11th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut in 2018 and in parts of two MLB seasons (2018 and 2020), Hamilton has a career 4.50 ERA (six runs in 12 innings) with a 1-2 record, one hold, nine strikeouts and seven walks in 14 career games.

Hamilton is 6-foot-1 and weighs 200 pounds and in four minor league seasons (2016 to 2019), had an 8-11 record with 40 saves and a 3.24 ERA (62 runs in 172.1 innings) and was a Mid-Season All Star in Double-A in 2018.

Hamilton uses three pitches per Statcast: a four-seam fastball that averaged 94.3 mph in 2020, a slider that averages 84 mph and an occasional changeup, that averages 85 mph.

Before playing for the Cougars, Hamilton played high school ball at Skyview High School in Vancouver, WA, where, as a senior in 2013, he  went 8-1 with a 1.17 ERA ad 78 strikeouts in 60 innings, helping lead Skyview to the 4A Washington State High School Championship. He was named the Class 4A Baseball Player of the Year by the Washington State Baseball Coaches Association.

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