| Toby Hall | |
|---|---|
 Hall with the Chicago White Sox | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: (1975-10-21)October 21, 1975 (age 49) Tacoma, Washington, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 15, 2000, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 21, 2008, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .262 |
| Home runs | 46 |
| Runs batted in | 269 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Toby Jason Hall (born October 21, 1975) is an American former professionalbaseballcatcher. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 2000 to 2008, primarily with theTampa Bay Devil Rays. Listed at 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) and 205 pounds (93 kg), he batted and threw right-handed.
Hall attendedEl Dorado High School inPlacerville, California, where he earned All-State honors. The first time he played catcher was in his sophomore year atAmerican River College.[citation needed] Then while in college he was anAll-American atUNLV. TheSan Francisco Giants selected Hall in the 24th round (663rd overall) of the1995 MLB draft, but he did not sign.[1]
Hall was selected in the ninth round (294th overall) of the1997 MLB draft by theTampa Bay Devil Rays and signed with the team.[2] He rose through theirminor leaguefarm system, starting inClass A Short Season in 1997 and reachingTriple-A in 2000.[3] He made his MLB debut with the Devil Rays late in the 2000 season, appearing in four games whilebatting .167 (2-for-12).[4] In 2001 and 2002, he appeared in 49 and 85 games with Tampa Bay, batting .298 and .258, respectively.[4] From 2003 through 2005, he played in over 100 games each season with the team, batting a career-high .287 in 2005.[4] He appeared in 64 games with the Devil Rays in 2006, batting .231 with eight home runs and 23 RBI.[4]
Overall, Hall appeared in 586 games with Tampa Bay, batting .262 with 44home runs and 251RBIs.[4] Hall holds a number of top ten team records for Tampa Bay; as of 2022, he is tied withAubrey Huff for seventh insacrifice flies (26), ranks eighth in doubles (112), ninth in games played (586), and tenth in at bats (2,050), RBI (251), and hits (538).[5]
On June 27, 2006, Hall and pitcherMark Hendrickson were traded to theLos Angeles Dodgers for pitcherJae Seo, catcherDioner Navarro, and outfielderJustin Ruggiano.[6] In 21 games with the Dodgers, Hall batted .368 (21-for-57) with 8 RBI.[4]
On December 17, 2006, Hall agreed to a two-year, $3.65 million deal with a club option for 2009 with theChicago White Sox.[7] He served as the backup toA. J. Pierzynski. On July 4, 2007, Hall collected his first RBI of the season and his first as a member of the White Sox organization.[8] In two seasons with Chicago, Hall appeared in a total of 79 games, batting .235 with two home runs and 10 RBIs.[4]
On October 30, 2008, the White Sox declined a $2.25 million option on Hall, making him afree agent.[9] He signed a minor league contract with theHouston Astros on January 14, 2009, and was invited tospring training.[10] On February 22, 2009, Hall elected to undergo shoulder surgery, which enabled the Astros to void his deal.[11] Hall did not play professionally during the 2009 season.
On January 22, 2010, Hall signed a minor league contract with theTexas Rangers with an invitation to spring training.[12] On June 24, 2010, Hall was released.[13] Other than playing in one minor league game with Texas, Hall did not play professionally during the 2010 season.[3]
On March 10, 2011, Hall signed with theCamden Riversharks of theindependentAtlantic League of Professional Baseball.[14] He appeared in 93 games with Camden, batting .255 with two home runs and 32 RBI.[3] On December 20, 2011, Hall retired from baseball as a player.[15]
Hall has a tendency to dye hissoul patch different colors to mark specific occasions. For example, during a 12-game winning streak in 2004, he dyed his soul patch platinum blonde. On June 24, 2006, Hall dyed his soul patch red to mark "turn back the clock night", where Tampa Bay wore throwback uniforms for theTampa Tarpons, aCincinnati Reds minor-league affiliate.
In May 2005, Hall sponsored aMake-a-Wish for Chase Troche.[16]
