From
Penn State University, he was selected by the
San Diego Padres in the 17th Round (492nd overall) of the 2004 amateur entry draft. He was signed by scout Josh Boyd. On December 8, 2005, he was sent by the
San Diego Padres to the
Pittsburgh Pirates as a player to be named later in a November 21, 2005 trade. On December 6, 2007, he was picked up in the Minor League phase of the
Rule 5 Draft by the
Texas Rangers. Hamilton split 2008 between the
Bakersfield Blaze and
Frisco RoughRiders. In 2009, he worked with Frisco and the
Oklahoma City RedHawks. In 2005, Hamilton won the
Fort Wayne Wizards' "Pitcher/Prospect of the Year" award, and was selected for the Eastern Division's All-Star team. ==Nippon Professional Baseball==