Mark Alan Hamilton (born July 29, 1984) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

. After his playing career, Hamilton pursued a medical degree and is currently a resident in interventional radiology at

Long Island Jewish Medical Center Long Island Jewish Medical Center (LIJMC or LIJ) is a clinical and academic hospital within the Northwell Health system. It is a 807-bed, non-profit tertiary care teaching hospital serving the greater New York metropolitan area. The campus is e ...

Early and personal life

Hamilton was born on July 29, 1984, in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. His father, Stanley Hamilton, was a doctor who served as the head of pathology and laboratory medicine at

MD Anderson Cancer Center The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (colloquially MD Anderson Cancer Center) is a comprehensive cancer center in Houston, Texas. It is the largest cancer center in the U.S. and one of the original three comprehensive cancer centers ...

in Houston, Texas.Walker, Ben.
Ex-MLB player finishes medical school, primes to fight virus
, The Associated Press, April 7, 2020. After graduating from Episcopal High School in

Bellaire, Texas Bellaire is a city in southwest Harris County, Texas, United States, within the metropolitan area.. Retrieved on January 24, 2010. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city population was 17,202. It is surrounded by the cities of Houston and West ...

, he attended

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the

Tulane Green Wave baseball The Tulane Green Wave baseball team represents Tulane University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The Green Wave baseball team competes in the American Athletic Conference and play their home games on campus at Greer Field at Turchin Stadi ...

team. In 2004 and 2005, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Falmouth Commodores The Falmouth Commodores are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Commodores play their home games at Arnie All ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

and was named a league all-star in 2005. In 2006, Hamilton was a first team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n at Tulane despite a thumb injury which forced him to miss much of the 2005 season.

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 A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

following the 2009 season to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

St. Louis Cardinals

On September 18, Hamilton's contract was purchased by the Cardinals and he was promoted to the major leagues. A year later after his debut, the Cardinals advanced to the postseason and eventually won the

2011 World Series The 2011 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2011 season. The 107th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Texas Rangers and the Nation ...

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 spring training. Hamilton was optioned to the Triple-A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

to begin the 2013 season.

Atlanta Braves

In December 2013, Hamilton signed a minor league contract with the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

that included an invitation to spring training. He was released on July 26, 2014.

Post-playing career

Following his retirement, Hamilton returned to Tulane to complete his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, development ...

. He attended the

Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell is the graduate medical school of Hofstra University in the town of Hempstead on Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York. The academic institution was established in 2008 b ...

. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...

, Hamilton and the class of 2020 at the

Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell is the graduate medical school of Hofstra University in the town of Hempstead on Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York. The academic institution was established in 2008 b ...

were permitted to graduate early. Hamilton began his residency at

, specializing in interventional radiology.

References

External links

Hamilton player profile page at Scout.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Mark 1984 births Living people St. Louis Cardinals players Tulane Green Wave baseball players Swing of the Quad Cities players State College Spikes players Palm Beach Cardinals players Springfield Cardinals players Memphis Redbirds players Pawtucket Red Sox players Baseball players from Baltimore Major League Baseball first basemen Falmouth Commodores players Hofstra University alumni Algodoneros de Guasave players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Gulf Coast Cardinals players Gulf Coast Red Sox players Gigantes del Cibao players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Gwinnett Braves players Mesa Solar Sox players Naranjeros de Hermosillo players