Bill Hall (outfielder)

Infobox MLB player
name=Bill Hall

---

caption=Bill Hall hits a home run on opening day April 2, 2007
width=300
position=Third baseman
team=Milwaukee Brewers
number=2
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1979|12|28
debutdate=September 1
debutyear=2002
debutteam=Milwaukee Brewers
statyear=July 29, 2008
stat3label=Runs Batted In
stat3value=330
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=95
stat1label=Batting Average
stat1value=.260
teams=
*Milwaukee Brewers (by|2002-present)

William Hall (born December 28, 1979 in Nettleton, Mississippi, commonly known as Billy or Bill Hall) is a third baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Major League career

In the by|2005 season, Hall helped the Brewers to their first .500 season since 1992. Splitting time between third base, shortstop, and second base, Hall had a batting average of .291 with 17 home runs and 62 RBIs.

The following season, Hall played behind newly acquired third baseman Corey Koskie, shortstop J. J. Hardy, and second baseman Rickie Weeks. On May 17, 2006, Hall became the Brewers' starting shortstop after Hardy injured his ankle.

On Mothers Day 2006, with the Brewers playing the New York Mets, Hall hit a walk off home run in the 10th inning. He hit the home run using a special Mother's day pink bat with his mother, Vergie Hall, in attendance. After the game he dedicated the home run to her. When the bat was later auctioned to raise money for breast cancer research, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio purchased the bat and gave it to Hall's mother. The final bid on the bat was over $25,000, the third-highest total ever paid for an auction item on mlb.com. [http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060707&content_id=1545087&vkey=news_mil&fext=.jsp&c_id=mil]

In November 2006, Hall represented Major League Baseball in the Japan All-Star Series. Hall became the Brewers' leader offensively with a .553 slugging percentage, 85 RBIs, and 35 home runs. He also led his team in runs scored (101), doubles (39), triples (4), total bases (297), and walks (63). As a result of his play, the Brewers named him the most valuable player of the team. On February 5, 2007, Hall signed a 4-year deal for $24 million with the Brewers. There is also a $9.25 million option for a fifth season in 2011. [http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070205&content_id=1794849&vkey=news_mil&fext=.jsp&c_id=mil]

Hall opened the 2007 Milwaukee Brewers season as a center fielder, batting fourth. [http://snap.stats.com/premium/sfa/stats/playerstats.asp?id=6992] In by|2007, he led all Major League center fielders in errors with nine, and had the lowest fielding percentage among them, .971, as well as the lowest zone rating, .837. On June 12, 2007 Hall drew three of the four walks issued by Justin Verlander in his no-hitter agianst the Brewers.

Bill Hall will entered the 2008 season as the Brewer's starting third basemen following the move of Ryan Braun to left field. In May of the 2008 season, the Brewers called up left-hander Russell Branyan from triple-A to platoon at third base with Hall, after Bill struggled to get hits against right-handed pitchers for much of the early part of the season. Still in the lineup, Hall expressed his disappointment on June 3, 2008 by saying that if he was not going consistently to start for the Brewers, he might want to be traded in order to play everyday (he had also grown tired of the Brewers changing his field position, which they had done three seasons in a row--usually something teams avoid so that players remain comfortable in their field positions and perform at their highest potential).

Following his statements, many Brewers fans booed him at Miller Park (regrettably, to many others), which he later admitted affected his confidence. Since early July he has been hitting much better, even against right-handed pitchers (including game-winning, back-to-back, go-ahead home runs against right-handed pitchers of division rival St. Louis Cardinals, in the 10th inning of the first game of the series and in the 9th inning of the second), and has all but pushed Branyan back out of the starting lineup. When asked what had changed he said that he felt that he had found his swing in early July, and had subsequently regained his confidence. He thanked his teammates for supporting him through it all.Fact|date=June 2008

Trivia

Hall, along with teammates J.J. Hardy, Jeff Suppan, and Chris Capuano, appeared in an episode of CBS' soap opera The Young and the Restless.

Hall hit the first home run in the new Busch Stadium.

External links