Mel Hall
From BR Bullpen
Melvin Hall Jr.
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 1", Weight 205 lb.
- Debut September 3, 1981
- Final Game May 21, 1996
- Born September 16, 1960 in Lyons, NY USA
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[edit] Biographical Information
Mel Hall was a valuable player for several teams in his 13-year major league career, and also played several seasons in Japan.
Born in New York, he was eventually to achieve his greatest fame there. But he was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1978, and moved his way up their minor league organization. He was lucky because the 1981 Chicago Cubs were terrible and the team was in need of a revamping.
After brief appearances in 1981 and 1982, he became the regular center fielder in 1983, hitting .283 with a .488 slugging percentage. The next season, he was hitting well when traded to the Cleveland Indians as part of the trade that brought Rick Sutcliffe to the Cubs and Joe Carter to the Indians. As a result, he missed the second part of the division-winning Cubs season.
After being injured in 1985, he was a regular with the Indians in left field for three seasons, hitting at least .280 each year, and hitting 18 home runs in each of 1986 and 1987.
He was traded by the Indians to the New York Yankees, and he enjoyed the media attention. His walks with his pet cougars were unusual even by east coast standards. At this point, he was past his prime, but in his best season hit .285 with 19 home runs. The Yankees were not contenders in his years with them, so he did not see any post-season play.
He played three years in Japan, and then returned to the San Francisco Giants for a couple months in 1996 where he was used mostly as a pinch hitter.
"We just don't look fearsome out there in pink and white." - Mel Hall, commenting on his 1994 uniform with the Lotte Marines
After his playing days he was a minor league batting instructor and coach for five years. Currently, he is general manager and head coach of the Wicked Sports Association, focusing on softball, and owns and operates the Denton School of Baseball/Softball.
On June 22, 2007, it was reported by the Dallas Morning News that Hall had been arrested for sexual assault in connection with allegations by two then-underage girls who played on a select basketball team that Hall coached in the late 1990s. According the newspaper account, "North Richland Hills detectives are expected to present cases of sexual assault of a child under the age of seventeen and aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of fourteen to the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office.
"He is being held in lieu of a total of $35,000 bail on the two charges. At the time of his arrest, Mr. Hall also had an unrelated outstanding arrest warrant from Denton County on on a theft charge."
- American Association Rookie of the Year in 1982 with Iowa
- Hit by car outside team hotel in Texas in 1985, ending his season after 23 games. Was hitting .318 at the time
- Career High 19 Home Runs for the 1991 New York Yankees
- Career High 81 RBI for the 1992 New York Yankees
His father, Mel Hall Sr., was in the Cincinnati Reds chain in 1949.
[edit] Quotes
- "There's never a time when Mel doesn't play as hard as anyone on this team."-Don Mattingly
