Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Astros will sign former Brewer Bill Hall to a one year, $3 million contract. Hall is expected to be the team’s starting second baseman, and Houston will reportedly start shopping Jeff Keppinger.
While Hall probably won’t be a difference maker for the Astros, it’s a decent enough deal for them. Hall’s flaws at the plate are well-known, but he’s still solid defensively in the infield, and he had a surprisingly good year for Boston in 2010 while playing his classic “supersub” role. His .772 OPS was a surprise considering he hadn’t gone over .700 since 2007, and his wOBA of .342 was his highest since 2006.
He’s probably never going to perform like he did in 2005 and 2006, but I could see him greatly benefiting from a move to Minute Maid Park and those cheap home runs into the Crawford Boxes in left. Plus he gets to play the Reds again, which has to help his overall numbers, right?
Brewers fans won’t have to wait very long to get to see Hall play in Miller Park again — the Astros come to town in the first month of the season, playing a weekend set April 22-24. The other day when Lyle Overbay signed with the Pirates, I asked on Twitter if the drunken idiots at Miller Park that have taken to booing any and all former Brewers would boo him. I won’t even bother asking that question about Hall, because I’m 98% sure Hall will hear boos the first time he steps to the plate, and not everyone booing will be a drunken frat guy. It’ll be a bit unfair — after all, it’s not his fault Doug Melvin overpaid him for one good season and one very good season, and he was always a good teammate — but things did not end smoothly.
Here’s to hoping things go well for him in Houston, especially when the Astros are playing the Reds, and except when they’re playing the Brewers.
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