Joe Hall (baseball) facts for kids

Joe Hall, whose full name is Joseph Geroy Hall, was a professional baseball player. People even called him "Do It All"! He was an outfielder, which is a position in baseball. Joe played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for three seasons. He played for the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers. Joe was born on March 6, 1966.

Early Baseball Days

Joe grew up in Paducah, Kentucky. He went to St. Mary High School there. Later, he attended Southern Illinois University.

In 1987, Joe played collegiate summer baseball. He was part of the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox team. This team played in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Joe was so good that he was chosen as a league all-star!

After college, Joe was picked by the St. Louis Cardinals. This happened in the 10th round of the 1988 baseball draft.

Professional Career

Joe started his professional baseball journey in 1988. He played for teams like the Hamilton Redbirds and Springfield Cardinals. These were minor league teams. His last season was in 1997, playing for the Detroit Tigers and their minor league team, the Toledo Mud Hens.

Making it to the Majors

It took Joe six years after being drafted to reach the major leagues. He finally made his MLB debut in 1994. He started the season incredibly well. By mid-May, his batting average was .393. This means he was hitting the ball very often!

Dealing with Injuries

Sadly, Joe badly injured his right hamstring in May 1994. This injury put him on the disabled list. It also ended his amazing start to the season. Joe was very frustrated because he had waited so long to play in the majors.

On June 30, 1994, Joe had another setback with his injury. He was placed on a special 60-day disabled list. After these injuries, Joe was never able to play as well as he did in his first two months as a rookie.