Weekly Minor League Thread: Mickey Hall and His Weird Splits

Mickey Hall has been somewhat of a forgotten man among Red Sox prospects, and for good reason. After being selected in the 2nd round in 2003 and lured away from Georgia Tech (where he was to replace Matt Murton), Hall has not done much to distinguish himself since. Before 2007, the only thing that he did with consistency was strike out in big numbers.

His 2007 started out like the others. He began the year in Greenville, where he hit .213/.330/.325, but with an encouraging 14/21 BB/K rate. For some reason, the Red Sox moved him up to Lancaster in late May and his numbers really took off: .301/.411/.549 with a 49/78 BB/K ratio. Aha! you say, it’s just that crazy park inflating his hitting numbers. But his splits tell a different story. At home, Hall has hit a lousy .276/.366/.457, 18/40 BB/K. On the road, .324/.448/.633, 31/38.

What does it mean? Who knows? But Hall’s time at High-A appears to have been his first taste of success. And at only 22, he’s still age appropriate for the league. In other words, although he’s still not really a prospect, he’s moved himself into the interesting category.