Toby Hall Stats & Scouting Report

Top Rankings

Hall established himself last year as Tampa Bay's future catcher. He split the campaign between Double-A and Triple-A, and learned from veteran Pat Borders and Durham manager Bill Evers. Hall received a cup of coffee at the end of the season and made his first major league start on Sept. 22. An extremely intelligent player, Hall is a solid defensive catcher who has made excellent progress in his ability to call a game, though he still has more work to do. He has a plus arm from behind the plate. Hall also has an above-average bat for a minor league catcher and uses the entire field. He can turn on a pitch and has good power that should produce 20 home runs annually. Hall has made steady progress with his footwork but could be a little more nimble behind the plate. Experience should solve both minor problems. Hall should be Tampa Bay's primary receiver no later than 2002.

Another nearly surefire Opening Day 2002 starter in the majors, Hall put up monstrous offensive numbers, especially for his position. He previously had a reputation for being one-dimensional, but managers also rated him the IL's best defensive catcher. Hall hits to all fields and does so with power. He had nearly as many homers (19) as strikeouts (22). Behind the plate, he cleaned up his footwork and erased 45 percent of basestealers. The only tool he lacks is speed. "He has a chance to be an offensive catcher for years to come," Richmond manager Carlos Tosca said. "I think he receives and throws fine. The book on him before this year may have been all O and no D, but he certainly has defensive ability."