I just don't know what to make of this guy.
Bret Boone looks like a good comp. Smaller-stature guys with about 60 points of patience. Drafted rounds 5-6.
Interestingly, both had breakout, really good years at age 25-26. Then fell off the map. Boone, after his 123 OPS+ age-25 season, went on to post OPS+ of 98, 64, 64 the following seasons. Then went up to league average for about three years, then exploded for an MPV caliber season at age *32*.
Hall is now 29YO, and posting an OPS+ of around 64.
So how can a player go from OPS+ of 120 at age 25, to 64 at 28, to 98 at 30, to 140 at 32?
Before you say, PED's, bear in mind that Hall's career is happening in an era of more stringent testing. There's been speculation, but no real reason to link his spike with anything chemical.
Anyway, my feeling is that Hall has never shown and will never show serious OBP or high OPS+ ability outside of that 1-2 year spike. I think it was a fluke.
Wish i knew what it was Gillick saw in Boone. He brought him in, and immediately and decisively named him the starting 2B over McLemore. At the time, Mac looked like the better player - better OBP, had played well for the M's, and Boone coming from the NL.
Inquiring minds want to know.
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