Mel Hall

Mel Hall
Outfielder
Born: (1960-09-16) September 16, 1960
Lyons, New York
Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 3, 1981, for the Chicago Cubs
Last MLB appearance
May 21, 1996, for the San Francisco Giants
MLB statistics
Batting average .276
Home runs 134
Runs batted in 620
Teams

Melvin Hall Jr. (born September 16, 1960) is a convicted child rapist and former professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1996 with the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and San Francisco Giants. He also played in Japan from 1993 to 1995. He primarily played as an outfielder. On June 17, 2009, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison after being found guilty of two counts of sexual assault against minors.

Playing career

Hall made his Major League Baseball debut in 1981 with the Chicago Cubs, and was the 5th-youngest player in the league.[1] In his first full Major League season in 1983, Hall hit 17 home runs in 112 games. In 1987, he had the best fielding percentage and range factor of all MLB left-fielders.[1]

In 1991, when Bernie Williams was a rookie, Hall made fun of him by giving him the nickname "Zero". It was alleged that when Williams would talk, Hall would scream "Shut up, Zero!" at him, nearly making him cry.[2] In 1992, Hall hit 15 home runs, drove in a career-high 81 RBIs and had a career high of 163 hits in 152 games with the New York Yankees. During the Yankees Old Timers Game that year, he walked onto the baseball field and asked manager Buck Showalter, "Who are these old fucking guys?" Showalter said: "That's when I knew he had to go."[3] That season he earned $1.2 million.[1]

Following the season, after his contract expired and no major league team showed interest in him, the 32-year-old opted to leave the major leagues, agreeing to a 2-year $4 million contract to play in Japan.[3][4] When he returned to play for the San Francisco Giants in 1996, Hall registered just three singles in 25 games with the big league club, was released after a month, and retired shortly thereafter.[3][5]

Sexual assault conviction

Hall was arrested in Lewisville, Texas on June 21, 2007 and charged with two counts of sexual assault after North Richland Hills, Texas police received a report from a woman who reported she was sexually assaulted in March 1999, when she was under the age of 17. During the investigation, a second victim under the age of 14 was identified.[6] One of these girls was 12 at the time of the rape. On June 16, 2009, Hall was convicted on three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child. On June 17, 2009, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison. He must serve 22 years and 4 months before he is eligible for parole.[7] Hall is currently serving his sentence at Coffield Unit in Tennessee Colony, Texas.[8]

In 2014, SB Nation published a long-form article detailing allegations that Hall serially preyed upon and sexually abused numerous female minors throughout his career.[3]

See also

  • Chad Curtis, major league baseball player convicted of sexual assault

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Mel Hall Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  2. ↑ Joel Sherman (2006). Birth of a Dynasty: Behind the Pinstripes with the 1996 Yankees. ISBN 978-1-59486-670-8.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Hanlon, Greg (15 July 2014). "The many crimes of Mel Hall". SBNation.com.
  4. ↑ "Mel Hall Goes to Japan". The New York Times. November 17, 1992.
  5. ↑ Mel Hall Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com Archived February 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ "Ex-MLB Player Sentenced For Raping Minor". Associated Press. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  8. ↑ "TDCJ Offender Details". offender.tdcj.texas.gov.
Preceded by
Dusty Baker		 National League Player of the Month
August, 1983		 Succeeded by
Dale Murphy
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