posted on Sunday, September 09, 2007 1:40 AM
by
Jim
Toby Hall: He has as many RBI as he has healthy shoulders
If I had to pick a favorite stat that best sums up the ineptitude of the 2007 Chicago White Sox, it would have to be
when they went 61 consecutive at-bats without a hit against a relief pitcher -- any relief pitcher.
If I had to pick two of them, it would be the 61 consecutive at-bats without a hit against any relief pitcher, and the fact that after his 100th plate appearance of the season today, Toby Hall has one RBI.
To put that stat into perspective, consider that
the San Diego Padres' Enzo Hernandez owns the record for fewest RBI in a season, at least of those who have qualified for the batting title. In 1971, he drove in 12 runs across 618 plate appearances. At this pace, Hall would be
half as productive as the least productive hitter in major-league history.
Here's another way to look at it: Hall has as many RBI after 100 plate appearances as Gustavo Molina had after
one. Really, you could spin this 1,000 ways, and it wouldn't be any less remarkable.
And while the Sox offense is the worst in baseball at supplying baserunners, Hall's futility is not due to a dearth of chances. He had two opportunities with runners in scoring position
in today's win over Minnesota. In the fourth inning, with Juan Uribe on third and one out, Hall grounded hard to third, and Juan couldn't score. One inning later, Uribe was on second with one out when Hall came to the plate. He grounded to short, and it turned into a fielder's choice.
The 0-for-2 performance with runners in scoring position makes him 1-for-21 in that category on the season. The one hit didn't even lead to a run. Instead, his lone RBI came via a sacrifice fly in
the July 4 game against the Orioles. The hit was a single against the Twins in the ninth inning of
the 20-14 game. Alex Cintron was on second, and could only advance to third on the liner to left.
OK, that makes it even funnier -- all of his "damage" with runners in scoring position came in back-to-back games. Nothing happened in the 10 games leading up to that stretch, and nothing has happened in the 19 games since.
It's just amazing that there are a million ways to luck into contact that drives in a run -- not only via legitimate base hits, but even a high chopper off the plate, a comebacker off the pitcher's foot, run-of-the-mill flyball, swinging bunt, confusion between infielders, slow roller, etc. -- and Hall has only managed to accomplish it once.
Of course, this is merely a symptom of a much larger issue. Remember, after the Hall signing ended my obsession over the backup catcher spot, when
I wrote about how crucial his addition was to help end the trend of plummeting production from that position? Here was the chart I used:
And here's what it looks like now, when you throw in this year's OPS from Hall, Molina and Donny Lucy:
Oops.
In my and Hall's defense, I'm sure we would've both been far better off had Ozzie Guillen not
decided to play Hall at first on my birthday (Worst. Present. Ever.). Here's hoping a full offseason of rehabilitation (and surgery?) helps correct his shoulder and get his career back on track.
Nevertheless, his astoundingly unproductive year at the plate after A.J. Pierzynski received no help in 2006 runs parallel to the Sox offense's yearlong struggle as a whole. Just when you think it can't possibly get any worse, it does.