Posts tagged BillHall at FanHouse

With the playoff chase coming down to the wire, our MLB editor rounds up the five biggest pennant race stories in Eye Toward October.

- The Cavalry Arrives: The rosters expand from 25 to 40 today, allowing clubs that have fallen out of contention to give their younger players a taste of the majors and giving contenders the chance to add another bullpen arm or bench bat for the stretch run.

A few players to keep an eye on that could actually contribute to contenders down the stretch:

Doug Slaten, RP, Diamondbacks - Should give Arizona a much-needed left-handed bullpen arm for the final month.

James McDonald, SP, Dodgers - Could get a spot start or two.

Mat Gamel, 3B, Brewers - Shortstop Alcides Escobar has gotten a little more buzz, but Gamel could be in the platoon mix with Bill Hall and Russell Branyan plenty over the final month.

Jonathon Niese, SP, Mets - He's starting against Milwaukee on Tuesday.

Phil Humber, RP, Twins - One of the players acquired by Minnesota in the Johan Santana deal, Humber will start out in the bullpen, which hasn't been as strong as the Twins would like, but he could also make a spot start if needed.

John Jaso, C, Rays - Whither David Price? As Pat Lackey pointed out last week, he might not be as ready as most people think. Jaso has a gaudy .820 OPS at Triple-A Durham, and with Dioner Navarro nursing the bumps and bruises of a long season, he could spell the catcher effectively.

When the Brewers started platooning Bill Hall this week, his agent was understandably upset and said he thought the best move for his client would be one that leads out of town. The problem is that Brewers' GM Doug Melvin doesn't really agree with that and he's indicated that he has no intention of trading Hall in the near future. From the Brewers Blog:

"I'm not really motivated to do that," Melvin said. "I'm motivated to make this club the best club I can; to make the postseason, and right now he's a part of that."

[...]

The Brewers called up Russell Branyan, a left-handed hitter, from Class AAA Nashville on May 24 because Hall's numbers against right-handers (.162 average and 42 strikeouts) were so bad. It wasn't that Hall was singled out by being put into a platoon situation as much as it was Branyan was the best and only option.

Melvin's got the right idea here, I think. Because Hall can play so many positions and can thump left-handed pitching, he's a really valuable utility/platoon/bench guy to have on the team. The Brewers problem is that because of his big season in 2006, they've been using him as an everyday player and Hall's really gone out of his way to prove that he's not that at all. Still, Melvin's phrasing makes it sound like he's going to try and trade Hall, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.

Can you imagine a more humiliating existence than to be benched in favor of Russell Branyan? I mean, as existences go, "Backup Major League Baseball player," is a pretty fricking sweet one, but getting benched for a career utility guy has to really sting. It certainly does for Bill Hall, who's agent is letting people know that if that's how the Brewers are going to treat his client, he'd much rather Hall be traded.

"If Billy's not going to be an everyday player, it's probably best for him and the team to be traded," Bross said. "They could get a pitcher for him that would really help the team. I'm sure there are some teams out there that could use a third baseman or shortstop."

Bross indicated he had not formerly requested a trade from Brewers general manager Doug Melvin. Hall said he preferred to be moved to another club but left it to Bross to do the talking on that subject.

"(Bross) knows how I feel," Hall said.

"They could get a pitcher for him that would really help the team." Ooooo! Burn! Seriously, though, Hall's been awful both this year and last year and it's hard to believe any team would trade a useful player for a guy that would amount to a useful swiss-army knife that can fill in gaps in both the infield and outfield, but probably isn't good enough to start anywhere.

The world can be a chaotic, unloving place. Take the Brewers. Last year, they were an exciting young team on the verge of greatness just before losing out to a mediocre Chicago Cubs squad in the last few weeks of the season. Then, this year, the Cubs go one way -- toward dominance -- while the Brewers wallow in confusing slumps and deal with injuries to their best young players.

Bill Hall is just going to come right out and say it: Nothing makes any sense anymore.

"Obviously, they're not happy with me hitting off righties. I'm not happy with me hitting off righties," Hall said before the Brewers rallied to beat the Braves 3-2 on Tuesday. "[But] I'm not the only one that's struggling with right-handed pitching -- or pitching in general. Going on the last four years, nothing makes any sense," Hall told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

For those of you keeping score at home, Brewers players are now resorting to nihilism to explain Ned Yost's decision-making skills. That's also, for those of you keeping score, one nihilist and one vegan in the same infield. Throw in a know-it-all art school hipster and you're an indoor-plumbing-less apartment away "Real World, Brooklyn."

Nihilists, dude. They don't care about anything. That must be exhausting.

Bill Hall had a great season in 2006, hitting 35 HR's with an OPS of .899. It hasn't been peaches and cream since, as his OPS dipped to .740 last season and .710 so far this season. More telling are his splits this season: Against lefties he's been great in only 44 at bats. But in his 133 at bats against right handers, Hall has been ... to put it delicately ... awful (.158/.222/.323 with an OPS of .546).

So Ned Yost has gone to the first of many options with Hall, and that's to platoon him with Russell Branyan. Predictably, Hall is not pleased.

"He's very, very upset," said Yost. "If he wasn't, I don't know if I'd want him on the team. I told him to keep his head up, keep working."

That explanation did little to appease Hall. And it probably didn't help that Branyan went out in his second game with the Brewers and struck out four times in an 0 for 5 performance.

"Going on the last four years, nothing makes any sense," he said. "My understanding is we needed a left-handed bat in the lineup and I was the odd man out. Does that make any sense? We'll see what happens the next couple of days."

Considering those splits? Yeah, it kinda does make sense. Does Branyan make sense? Eh, not so much. His numbers against righties in '07? .201/.310/.451 in 144 at bats with his career numbers not much better ... and he's a lefty so I don't know what his excuse has been. Perhaps the move was designed to light a fire under Hall. At least in his quotes, mission accomplished. In his play? We will see what happens in the next couple of days, won't we?

Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Bill Hall is the kind of player that drives fans – and fantasy owners – crazy. Is he the guy who cranked 35 HR in 2006, or the one who never hit more than 17 HR in any other season? Is he the crusher who swatted four HR by April 9, or the player who has only hit three more since then?

Moving back to third base gave Hall more fantasy value this year – in theory, at least. It turns out that, at least for NL-only leagues, the outfield is possibly shallower than third base. Regardless, owners who cackled with glee at the way Hall burst out of the gates are singing a decidedly different tune right now. Hall is batting just .217 and has not shown much plate discipline, adding only 12 walks the whole season.

So, what's the story here? Is Hall going to be a drag on your batting and/or on-base average, and even if that's the case, is he going to be able to justify it with quality power statistics?

Saber Bombs are MLB FanHouse's introduction to sabermetrics, those new and sometimes unwieldy metrics that are changing the way we think about baseball. Each post highlights a specific stat, player, team or media member either embodying that understanding, or missing the boat completely.

For the better part of the last week, my fellow 'Housers Matt Watson and Mullet have been wondering just what the Brewers were thinking when they forked out $7 million to Mike Cameron for him to cover center field in Miller Park next year. Their concerns are certainly valid. Cameron is old and his bat has been slipping for a couple of years. He certainly doesn't play center field like he used to and he's definitely suspended until almost May for using stimulants. Still, I think the people are missing the point on Cameron. I think his signing vastly improves the Brewers from a defensive standpoint, and I don't just mean his defense.

Signing Cameron and putting him in center sets off a nice little chain reaction for the Brewers' defense. It moves Bill Hall from center, (where he was very bad last year) to third base and that moves sends Ryan Braun from third (where he was historically bad) to left field. Defense is notoriously hard to quantify, but I'm going to look at a few of the newer school metrics to try and illustrate how this move helps the Brewers. Follow along after the jump for all of the stat-laden goodness.

So the Dodgers reeled in Joe Torre and signed Andruw Jones -- do they have another big deal up their sleeves? Some say they do, suggesting the team has contacted the Brewers about trading for Ben Sheets and Bill Hall. That's news to the Brewers, though, as Tom Haudicourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel explains:

USA Today reported this morning that the Brewers and Dodgers are talking about a deal that would send right-hander Ben Sheets and centerfielder Bill Hall to Los Angeles in exchange for outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier.

A member of the Brewers front office told me last night that no talks have been held with LA about Sheets. And I just bumped into manager Ned Yost in the hallway of the winter meetings hotel, and he confirmed that no talks with the Dodgers have taken place regarding Sheets. And Yost sits in on all trade discussions.

What's interesting, though, is that the Brewers are only denying the part about Sheets. As Haudricourt goes on to speculate, a separate deal for Hall might still be in the works. Hall is a handy guy to have on the roster -- dude can play anywhere, and if his 2006 season wasn't a complete fluke, he can do it while hitting for power. I like Kemp more so than Ethier just because of his power, but I suppose a team like the Brewers that already features two young sluggers in Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun could probably afford to take either one.

The All-Star break is over and there are about two weeks left until the trading deadline. You know what that means; it's time for some wild and unsubstantiated rumors about everything. Apparently, Brewers GM Ned Yost Doug Melvin has already heard some rumors and is denying them.

"I was talking to (Reds general manager) Wayne Krivsky today and then this afternoon I came to the office and went on the Internet and there was something about us getting Ken Griffey," Melvin said. "I just got off the phone a half-hour ago with the Reds' GM and (Griffey's) name was never even mentioned."

You know what the rule is in these situations; where there's smoke, there's usually fire, especially when a GM goes out of his way to deny a rumor that hasn't even hit the mainstream yet. Unless it's just some crazy rumor started up by one of those evil bloggers. Not that the Brewers really need Ken GriffeyJr., assuming Bill Hall comes back quickly (and it seems like he's going to). Geoff Jenkins and Kevin Mench have been a good platoon in left and Corey Hart is breaking through in right. The Brewers definitely don't need to sell the farm to get Griffey into an already solid outfield, it's kind of the antithesis of their plan so far.

Last month, Bill Hall made his soap opera debut on "The Young and the Restless." After spraining his ankle in Thursday's game, he suddenly has time to catch up on all of the episodes he's missed. From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

Trying to rob Pittsburgh's Ryan Doumit of a home run in the second inning Thursday afternoon at PNC Park, the Milwaukee Brewers' centerfielder planted his right foot in the padded wall and leaped as high as he could. The valiant effort was in vain as Doumit's drive off right-hander Ben Sheets carried beyond Hall's reach.

Unaware how high he was in the air, Hall was unable to prepare himself for the hard landing that followed.

"The ground kind of sneaked up on me, I guess," said Hall, who almost certainly is headed for the disabled list. ...

X-rays taken at the ballpark revealed no fractures, and Hall was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, almost always the worst kind. He traveled with the team to Washington, D.C., after the game but was scheduled to remain on the charter plane and return to Milwaukee later in the evening to be examined by team physicians.

The team has yet to make any estimates about when he might return, but it's likely going to be a while. Teammate J.J. Hardy suffered a similar type of injury last year and missed several weeks. After Hardy returned, he had lingering trouble with a tendon in his ankle and eventually succumbed to season-ending surgery, though that is definitely a worst-case scenario.