Hamilton was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 11th round of the 1986 Major League Baseball draft and signed a contract with them on June 12, 1986. He made his professional debut that season with the Helena Gold Sox of the Rookie-level Pioneer League, hitting .391 in 65 games. In 1987 with the Stockton Ports of the Class A California League, he hit .328 in 125 games with eight homers and 61 RBI, on a team that was rated one of the top farm teams in Brewers history. He began 1988 with the Denver Zephyrs of the Class AAA American Association, where he hit .325 in 72 games.\n', '

Hamilton made his MLB debut on June 3, 1988, as a defensive replacement for Robin Yount in the top of the seventh against the California Angels. In his first at-bat, in the bottom of the inning, he singled to center field off of Stew Cliburn of the Angels for his first major league hit. He hit his first home run off of Bret Saberhagen of the Kansas City Royals on July 19, 1988. In 44 games with the Brewers during the second half of the 1988 season, Hamilton hit .184. His most notable moment that season was during his first start in left field, on September 3, he collided with shortstop Dale Sveum while chasing a blooper over third base. They collided with such force that Sveum\'s leg snapped, causing him to miss the rest of the season and all of the 1989 season and derailing his career. Hamilton avoided injury but spent the entire 1989 season back in the minors with the Zephyrs, where he hit .286 in 129 games.\n', '

In 1990, despite missing time with injuries, Hamilton played in 89 games and hit .295. He was awarded with the Brewers "Unsung Hero Award" in 1990 and the "Good Guy Award" in 1991 when he hit .311 in 122 games while still dealing with an assortment of injuries.\n', '

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