Glenallen Hill
Encyclopedia
Glenallen Hill is a former outfielder
in Major League Baseball
who played for 13 seasons. Hill played with the Toronto Blue Jays
(1989–91), Cleveland Indians
(1991–93), Chicago Cubs
(1993–94, 1998–2000) San Francisco Giants
(1995–97), Seattle Mariners
(1998), New York Yankees
(2000), and Anaheim Angels
(2001). Hill batted and threw right-handed. Currently, he is the first base coach for the Colorado Rockies
.
in 1983, and was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1983 amateur draft, in the ninth round and 219th overall.
In a 13-year major league career, Hill compiled a lifetime batting average of .271, hitting 186 home runs and driving in 586 RBIs in 1,162 games. As a pinch hitter
Hill had a .287 lifetime average with 13 home runs.
Hill also was infamous for his defensive escapades, which were once described by then-Mariners pitching coach Bryan Price as "akin to watching a gaffed haddock
surface for air."
On May 11, 2000, Hill was responsible for a memorable event in the annals of Chicago Cubs baseball lore. On that day Hill became the first, and thus far only, player to hit a pitched ball onto the roof of a five-story residential building across the street from the left field wall of Wrigley Field.
Due to his far-from-adequate defensive skills, he has been referred to as The Juggler because he would struggle to hold onto a ball when he did catch one.
Hill has recently started wearing a helmet while coaching first base, following the death of Tulsa Drillers
(a Rockies minor-league affiliate) first base coach and former major leaguer Mike Coolbaugh
from injuries sustained when hit in the head by a batted ball. Hill and Oakland's Rene Lachemann
were the only coaches at the major league level to do so in 2007. He is an advocate for all first-base coaches to wear helmets, now all MLB first and third base coaches wear helmets.
Hill was the first National League
r to serve as a designated hitter
in regular season play, doing so on June 12, in the first-ever game in interleague play
as his San Francisco Giants faced the Texas Rangers
at The Ballpark at Arlington.
in which it was alleged that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his career. In the report, Kirk Radomski
alleges that he met Hill at a social function in 2000 during which they discussed Hill's dissatisfaction with the results from his use of Human Growth Hormone(HGH). Radomski claims he sent Hill a complementary bottle off HGH which Hill tried and expressed his satisfaction with the results. Radomski states Hill purchased two kits of HGH from him and provided a photocopy of a canceled check from Hill for $3,200. Hill's phone number and address were also included in Radomski's address book.
As an employee of Major League Baseball, Hill was required to submit to an interview by the Mitchell investigators. During the interview, Hill denied using the HGH provided by Radomski citing that he was suffering from marital stresses at the time. He stated that this was a one time purchase, and that he never used performance enhancing substances. He admitted that the drugs stayed in his possession until 2007 when he discovered them when unpacking from a move. Hill claimed he couldn't remember other players who he may have discussed steroid use with, and noted that his lawyer had warned him that naming players would hurt his career.
On December 20, 2007 Hill was also named in Jason Grimsley
's unsealed affidavit as a user of steroids. Hill and Grimsley were teammates on the 2000 New York Yankees.
. On one occasion Hill sustained cuts and scrapes on his feet, knees and arm during a violent nightmare about spiders. Hill popped out of bed, bumped into a glass table and plunged down a staircase, all occurring when he was asleep. Hill ended up being placed on the 15-day disabled list
. This led to him being nicknamed "Spiderman."
While a member of the Cleveland Indians, he committed a "phantom steal" of second. This occurred during a game against the Detroit Tigers which was interrupted by a prolonged disturbance in the outfield. When play resumed, no one noticed that Hill had moved from first to second.
While a member of the Chicago Cubs, Hill is the only known player to hit a home run on a roof tops across the street from Wrigley Field at 1032 W. Waveland Ave.
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who played for 13 seasons. Hill played with the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
(1989–91), Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
(1991–93), Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
(1993–94, 1998–2000) San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
(1995–97), Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
(1998), New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
(2000), and Anaheim Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
(2001). Hill batted and threw right-handed. Currently, he is the first base coach for the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
.
High school
Hill graduated from Santa Cruz High SchoolSanta Cruz High School
Santa Cruz High School is a comprehensive public school in Santa Cruz, California which opened in 1897 and now serves an enrollment of about 1,040 students in grades nine through twelve.- Notable alumni :...
in 1983, and was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1983 amateur draft, in the ninth round and 219th overall.
Major leagues
Hill made his major league debut on July 31, 1989, with the Toronto Blue Jays.In a 13-year major league career, Hill compiled a lifetime batting average of .271, hitting 186 home runs and driving in 586 RBIs in 1,162 games. As a pinch hitter
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
Hill had a .287 lifetime average with 13 home runs.
Hill also was infamous for his defensive escapades, which were once described by then-Mariners pitching coach Bryan Price as "akin to watching a gaffed haddock
Haddock
The haddock , also known as the offshore hake, is a marine fish distributed on both sides of the North Atlantic. Haddock is a popular food fish and is widely fished commercially....
surface for air."
On May 11, 2000, Hill was responsible for a memorable event in the annals of Chicago Cubs baseball lore. On that day Hill became the first, and thus far only, player to hit a pitched ball onto the roof of a five-story residential building across the street from the left field wall of Wrigley Field.
Due to his far-from-adequate defensive skills, he has been referred to as The Juggler because he would struggle to hold onto a ball when he did catch one.
Hill has recently started wearing a helmet while coaching first base, following the death of Tulsa Drillers
Tulsa Drillers
The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies major-league club.-Stadium:...
(a Rockies minor-league affiliate) first base coach and former major leaguer Mike Coolbaugh
Mike Coolbaugh
Michael Robert Coolbaugh was an American baseball player and coach. Born in Binghamton, New York, he was the brother of former major leaguer Scott Coolbaugh.-Playing career:...
from injuries sustained when hit in the head by a batted ball. Hill and Oakland's Rene Lachemann
Rene Lachemann
Rene George Lachemann is a former coach, catcher and manager in Major League Baseball. Lachemann served as the first manager in the history of the Florida Marlins and also skippered the Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers...
were the only coaches at the major league level to do so in 2007. He is an advocate for all first-base coaches to wear helmets, now all MLB first and third base coaches wear helmets.
Hill was the first National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
r to serve as a designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
in regular season play, doing so on June 12, in the first-ever game in interleague play
Interleague play
Interleague play is the term used to describe regular season Major League Baseball games played between teams in different leagues, introduced in . Before the 1997 season, teams in the American League and National League did not meet during the regular season...
as his San Francisco Giants faced the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
at The Ballpark at Arlington.
Mitchell Report / Grimsley affidavit
In December 2007, Hill was included in the Mitchell ReportMitchell Report (baseball)
The Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball, informally known as the "Mitchell Report", is the result of former Democratic United States Senator from Maine...
in which it was alleged that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his career. In the report, Kirk Radomski
Kirk Radomski
Kirk J. Radomski is a former batboy and clubhouse employee for the New York Mets Major League Baseball team from 1985–1995, who on April 27, 2007 pleaded guilty in United States district court to money laundering and illegal distribution of anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, Clenbuterol,...
alleges that he met Hill at a social function in 2000 during which they discussed Hill's dissatisfaction with the results from his use of Human Growth Hormone(HGH). Radomski claims he sent Hill a complementary bottle off HGH which Hill tried and expressed his satisfaction with the results. Radomski states Hill purchased two kits of HGH from him and provided a photocopy of a canceled check from Hill for $3,200. Hill's phone number and address were also included in Radomski's address book.
As an employee of Major League Baseball, Hill was required to submit to an interview by the Mitchell investigators. During the interview, Hill denied using the HGH provided by Radomski citing that he was suffering from marital stresses at the time. He stated that this was a one time purchase, and that he never used performance enhancing substances. He admitted that the drugs stayed in his possession until 2007 when he discovered them when unpacking from a move. Hill claimed he couldn't remember other players who he may have discussed steroid use with, and noted that his lawyer had warned him that naming players would hurt his career.
On December 20, 2007 Hill was also named in Jason Grimsley
Jason Grimsley
Jason Alan Grimsley is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He made his debut on September 8, , and pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians, Anaheim Angels, New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles, and most recently, the Arizona Diamondbacks.-Major league...
's unsealed affidavit as a user of steroids. Hill and Grimsley were teammates on the 2000 New York Yankees.
Personal
Hill suffers from an intense condition of arachnophobiaArachnophobia
Arachnophobia or arachnephobia is a specific phobia, the fear of spiders and other arachnids such as scorpions. It is a manifestation of zoophobia, among the most common of all phobias. The reactions of arachnophobics often seem irrational to others...
. On one occasion Hill sustained cuts and scrapes on his feet, knees and arm during a violent nightmare about spiders. Hill popped out of bed, bumped into a glass table and plunged down a staircase, all occurring when he was asleep. Hill ended up being placed on the 15-day disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
. This led to him being nicknamed "Spiderman."
While a member of the Cleveland Indians, he committed a "phantom steal" of second. This occurred during a game against the Detroit Tigers which was interrupted by a prolonged disturbance in the outfield. When play resumed, no one noticed that Hill had moved from first to second.
While a member of the Chicago Cubs, Hill is the only known player to hit a home run on a roof tops across the street from Wrigley Field at 1032 W. Waveland Ave.