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Mel Hall

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Mel Hall
Outfielder
Born: (1960-09-16) September 16, 1960 (age 64)
Lyons, New York, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
Professional debut
MLB: September 3, 1981, for the Chicago Cubs
NPB: April 10, 1993, for the Chiba Lotte Marines
Last appearance
NPB: June 27, 1995, for the Chunichi Dragons
MLB: May 21, 1996, for the San Francisco Giants
MLB statistics
Batting average.276
Home runs134
Runs batted in620
NPB statistics
Batting average.278
Home runs64
Runs batted in207
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Criminal statusIncarcerated at H. H. Coffield Unit of Texas Department of Criminal Justice; earliest possible parole November 15, 2031
ConvictionJune 16, 2009
Criminal chargeAggravated sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child
Penalty45 years in prison, with 22 years and four months minimum

Melvin Hall Jr. (born September 16, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1981 to 1992 with the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and New York Yankees, and in 1996 with the San Francisco Giants. He also played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from 1993 to 1995 with the Chiba Lotte Marines and Chunichi Dragons. Hall primarily played as an outfielder. In 2009, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison after being found guilty of two counts of sexual assault against minors.

Playing career

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Hall made his MLB debut in 1981 with the Chicago Cubs. 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]

On June 13, 1984, the Cubs traded Hall along with Joe Carter, Don Schulze, and Darryl Banks to the Cleveland Indians for Rick Sutcliffe, Ron Hassey, and George Frazier.[2] On March 19, 1989, Cleveland traded Hall for Turner Ward and Joel Skinner.[3]

In 1991, when Bernie Williams was a rookie, Hall taunted him by giving him the nickname "Zero". Hall reportedly would scream "Shut up, Zero!" whenever Williams would talk, nearly making him cry.[4] 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 that year's Yankees Old-Timers' Day, he walked onto the field and asked manager Buck Showalter, "Who are these old fucking guys?" Showalter said: "That's when I knew he had to go."[5] That season he earned $1.2 million.[1]

Hall became a free agent following the 1992 season. When no major league team showed interest in him, the 32-year-old Hall agreed to a two-year, $4 million contract with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan.[5][6] In 1995, he played for the Chunichi Dragons. He returned to MLB to play for the San Francisco Giants in 1996, but was released a month into the season after hitting only three singles in 25 games. He signed a minor-league contract with the Chicago White Sox, but was released 12 days later after only playing four games with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. He retired shortly thereafter.[7][5][8] Hall played for three teams in the independent Central Baseball League in 2002 and 2003.[7]

Sexual assault conviction

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Hall was arrested in Lewisville, Texas, on June 21, 2007, and charged with two counts of sexual assault after police in North Richland Hills, Texas, 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.[9] 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, with 22 years and 4 months minimum.[10] Hall is currently serving his sentence at H. H. Coffield Unit in Tennessee Colony, Texas; his earliest possible parole will be November 15, 2031.[11]

In 2014, SB Nation published a long-form article detailing allegations that Hall serially preyed upon and sexually abused numerous girls throughout his career.[5]

See also

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  • Chad Curtis, former MLB player convicted of sexual assault
  • Luis Polonia, former MLB player convicted of sexual assault

References

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  1. ^ a b "Mel Hall Stats - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
  2. ^ Garrity, John (September 3, 1984). "The trade that made the Cubs". Sports Illustrated.
  3. ^ "The New York Yankees Sunday acquired outfielder Mel Hall..." United Press International. March 19, 1989. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  4. ^ Sherman, Joel (2006). Birth of a Dynasty: Behind the Pinstripes with the 1996 Yankees. Rodale Books. pp. 198, 199. ISBN 978-1-59486-670-8.
  5. ^ a b c d Hanlon, Greg (July 15, 2014). "The many crimes of Mel Hall". SB Nation.
  6. ^ "Mel Hall Goes to Japan". The New York Times. Associated Press. November 17, 1992.
  7. ^ a b "Mel Hall Minor, Japanese & Independent Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  8. ^ "Mel Hall Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  9. ^ "Ex-Yank Hall busted on sex rap". New York Daily News. Associated Press. June 24, 2007. p. 61. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  10. ^ "Ex-MLB Player Sentenced For Raping Minor". CBS News. Associated Press. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  11. ^ "Inmate Information Details: Hall, Melvin Jr". Texas Department of Criminal Justice Inmate Search.
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Preceded by National League Player of the Month
August 1983 		Succeeded by
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