Bill Hall: Should He Stay or Should He Go...to the Minors?

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The biggest problem for the Milwaukee Brewers this year may not be their starting rotation, or even whether or not to send Mat Gamel down to Nashville.

I think their biggest decision is in regards to the four-year, $24 million man—Bill Hall.

The 29-year-old from Nettleton, Mississippi is the cause of many headaches to Brewers fans, but there may be a simple solution to all of this.

Every team does it with a middle of the pack player, and that is to send him down to Triple-A, or lower, to help him get his game back.

Milwaukee has already done it to Rickie Weeks and Tony Gwynn, Jr., and is currently doing it to Manny Parra.

So, why not send Billy down for a month-long tuneup in the minor leagues?

Hall is nowhere near what he was in 2006, and people still question the one-year spike.

He was drafted in the sixth round of the 1998 Draft, and (slowly but surely) his numbers were on the rise. Then Hall was signed to a multi-year deal, and it acted as a kiss of death. 

Take a look:

2002: 19 G, seven hits, 2B, 3B, HR, 5 RBI, three BB, 13 K, .194/.256 OBP/.361 SLG/.617

2003: 52 G, 37 H, nine(2B), two(3B), five HR, 20 RBI, seven BB, 28 K, .261/.298/.458/.756

2004: 126 G, 93 H, 20(2B), three(3B), nine HR, 53 RBI, 20 BB, 119 K, .238/.276/.374/.650 

2005: 146 G, 146 H, 39(2B), 6(3B), 17 HR, 62 RBI, 39 BB, 103 K, .291/.342/.495/.837

2006: 148 G, 101 R, 145 H, 39(2B), 4(3B), 35 HR, 85 RBI, 63 BB, 162 K, .270/.345/.553/.898

2007: 136 G, 115 H, 35(2B), 14 HR, 63 RBI, 40 BB, 128 K, .254/.315/.425/.740

2008: 128 G, 91 H, 22(2B), 3B, 15 HR, 55 RBI, 37 BB, 124 K, .225/.293/.396/.689

2009 (through 7/5): 62 G, 37 H, 10(2B), five HR, 18 RBI, 15 BB, 59 K, .198/.256/.332/.588

Career: 817 G, 2,645 AB, 366 R, 671 H, 175(2B), 17(3B), 101 HR, 361 RBI, 49 SB, 224 BB, 736 K, .254/.312/.447/.759

Hall has been hovering the Mendoza Line (.200) for quite a while now, but when will management realize that this is a problem that needs fixing?

Granted, if you take Hall off the roster, you lose a right-left platoon at the hot corner, but a stint in the minor leagues may make Hall the player that he once was.

I know a lot of you are thinking that the Brewers should trade him away, or just down right dump him.

Here's why you're wrong.

Bill Hall plays great defense, even when he can't hit the broad side of a barn at the plate. For eight years, it's always been that way with Hall.

He excels at second base, third base, and shortstop. Just when he mastered those three positions, the Brewers asked him to move to center field.

Did Billy balk at the idea?

No way.

He accepted the move like a professional and continued to work hard to excel at a fourth position.

One year later, he's back to the infield. You'd think that this would cause some hiccups in the defense, but not for Hall.

Even this year through 60 games in the field, Hall has committed just three errors in 149 chances, and has been involved in 13 double plays while playing third base.

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