{{short description|American baseball player (born 1984)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography | name = Mark Hamilton | image = MarkHamiltonSTL.jpg | caption = Hamilton with the St. Louis Cardinals | bats = Left | throws = Left | position = First baseman | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1984|7|29}} | birth_place = Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=September 20 |debutyear=2010 |debutteam=St. Louis Cardinals |finaldate=July 6 |finalyear=2011 |finalteam=St. Louis Cardinals |statleague = MLB |stat1label=Batting average |stat1value= .197 |stat2label=Home runs |stat2value= 0 |stat3label=Runs batted in |stat3value= 4 | teams = * St. Louis Cardinals ({{By|2010}}–{{by|2011}}) |highlights= }} '''Mark Alan Hamilton''' (born July 29, 1984) is an American physician and former professional baseball player. He played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2010 and 2011 and spent nine seasons in Minor League Baseball with the St. Louis, Boston, and Atlanta organizations. After his playing career, Hamilton received his medical degree (MD) from the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, followed by a residency in diagnostic radiology at Northwell Health Long Island Jewish Medical Center and North Shore University Hospital. He is currently an abdominal imaging fellow at NYU-Langone in Manhattan.
==Early and personal life== Hamilton was born on July 29, 1984, in Baltimore, Maryland. His father, Stanley Hamilton, was a doctor at Johns Hopkins, who later served as the head of pathology and laboratory medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, and at City of Hope in Los Angeles, California.<ref name="walker">Walker, Ben. "[https://apnews.com/308d87b10115b789ae428f9ffa0cba5c Ex-MLB player finishes medical school, primes to fight virus]", The Associated Press, April 7, 2020.</ref> After graduating from Episcopal High School in Bellaire, Texas, he received a scholarship to Tulane University for college baseball on the Tulane Green Wave baseball team. In 2004 and 2005, Mark played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named to the 2005 all-star team.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://capecodbaseball.org.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/2012website/archives/Current%20Year/All_Time_MLB_CCBL_Alumni.pdf |title=Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League |publisher=capecodbaseball.org |date= |access-date=September 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebaseballcube.com/college/summer/stats.asp?Y=2004&T=Falmouth%20Commodores |title=2004 Falmouth Commodores |publisher=thebaseballcube.com |accessdate=September 23, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebaseballcube.com/college/summer/stats.asp?Y=2005&T=Falmouth%20Commodores |title=2005 Falmouth Commodores |publisher=thebaseballcube.com |accessdate=September 23, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://capecodbaseball.org/news/asgnews/index.html?article_id=501 |title=CCBL West All-Star Roster |publisher=capecodbaseball.org |access-date=May 6, 2020}}</ref> Hamilton played in the College World Series with Tulane in 2005 after earning the Most Outstanding Player award in the 2005 New Orleans Regional. In 2006, Hamilton was a first team All-American and the Conference USA Player of the Year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/awards/all-america-teams/2006/261703.html|title=2006 College All-America Team|last=Fitt|first=Aaron|date=June 13, 2006|access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref>
==Professional career==
===Draft and minor leagues=== Hamilton was selected by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft, which was a supplemental pick for loss of free agent infielder Abraham Núñez. He was added to the Cardinals' 40-man roster following the 2009 season to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. Mark played with the St. Louis, Boston, and Atlanta organization across nine seasons, where he hit over 100 home runs while driving in over 450 runs (RBIs). He was a member of the 2009 Pacific Coast League Champion Memphis Redbirds.
===St. Louis Cardinals=== On September 18, Hamilton's contract was purchased by the Cardinals and he was promoted to the major leagues.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wilhelm |first=David |url=http://www.bnd.com/2010/09/18/1405310/cardinals-promote-five-players.html |title=Cardinals promote five players from Class AAA Memphis - Breaking news |publisher=bnd.com |date=2010-09-18 |access-date=2010-09-18 |archive-date=2020-05-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520074131/http://www.bnd.com/2010/09/18/1405310/cardinals-promote-five-players.html/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> A year later after his debut, the Cardinals advanced to the postseason and eventually won the 2011 World Series over the Texas Rangers.
Hamilton was optioned to Triple-A to begin the 2012 season and was released from the Cardinals organization on August 18, 2012.
===Boston Red Sox=== On January 4, 2013 Hamilton signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox that included an invitation to Major League spring training. Hamilton was optioned to the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox to begin the 2013 season.
===Atlanta Braves=== In December 2013, Hamilton signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves that included an invitation to Major League spring training.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/12/15/braves-sign-first-baseman-mark-hamilton/ | title=Braves sign first baseman Mark Hamilton | publisher=NBC Sports | date=December 15, 2013 | access-date=December 15, 2013 | author=Silva, Drew}}</ref> He was released on July 26, 2014.
==Post-playing career== Following his retirement, Hamilton returned to Tulane and completed his bachelor's degree in neuroscience.<ref>{{cite news |title=Championship pedigree |url=https://www.northwell.edu/news/championship-pedigree |access-date=April 9, 2020 |publisher=Northwell Health |date=2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Brennan |first1=Jake |title=Beating the odds: Tulane athlete returns from MLB to medical school |url=https://tulanehullabaloo.com/1019/sports/beating-the-odds-tulane-athlete-returns-from-mlb-to-medical-school/ |work=Tulane Hullabaloo |date=May 11, 2016}}</ref> He then attended the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine and graduated in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Hamilton completed his residency in diagnostic radiology at Northwell Health-Long Island Jewish Medical Center in 2025, and is currently a diagnostic radiology fellow at NYU-Langone specializing in abdominal imaging.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Goold |first1=Derrick |title='If they call me, I'm coming:' Former Cardinals first baseman Mark Hamilton set to graduate med school — in New York |url=https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/if-they-call-me-im-coming-former-cardinals-first-baseman-mark-hamilton-set-to-graduate/article_067ef05a-c919-5695-a92f-fc091a1e7c78.html |access-date=April 9, 2020 |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=April 8, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Ex-Cardinal Mark Hamilton finishes medical school, set to fight virus |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29008503/ex-cardinal-mark-hamilton-finishes-medical-school-set-fight-virus |access-date=April 9, 2020 |agency=Associated Press |work=ESPN.com |date=April 8, 2020}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Portal|Baseball}} {{baseballstats|mlb=453236|espn=29690|br=h/hamilma01|fangraphs=9334|brm=hamilt002mar}} *[http://stlcardinals.scout.com/a.z?s=321&p=8&c=1&nid=4753496 Hamilton player profile page at Scout.com]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Mark}} Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:St. Louis Cardinals players Category:Tulane Green Wave baseball players Category:Swing of the Quad Cities players Category:State College Spikes players Category:Palm Beach Cardinals players Category:Springfield Cardinals (Missouri) players Category:Memphis Redbirds players Category:Pawtucket Red Sox players Category:Baseball players from Baltimore Category:Major League Baseball first basemen Category:Falmouth Commodores players Category:Hofstra University alumni Category:Algodoneros de Guasave players Category:American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Category:Gulf Coast Cardinals players Category:Gulf Coast Red Sox players Category:Gigantes del Cibao players Category:American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Category:Gwinnett Braves players Category:Mesa Solar Sox players Category:Naranjeros de Hermosillo players