Koyie Hill
Encyclopedia
Koyie Dolan Hill (born March 9, 1979 in Tulsa, Oklahoma
) is a Major League Baseball
catcher
for the Chicago Cubs
.
, Hill compiled a .355 batting average
and 186 RBI
primarily as a third baseman
.
In , Hill played as the second baseman
for Team USA. In the games, he totaled a .284 batting average, 3 home run
s, and 21 RBI.
Hill made his long awaited debut in the Majors in with the Los Angeles Dodgers
. However, at the time, all-star catcher Paul Lo Duca
was cemented as the Dodgers catcher, making Hill expendable. On July 31, , Hill was one of the most prominent names in a trade, going from the Dodgers to the Arizona Diamondbacks
for veteran Steve Finley
. He would go on to hit .250 with 1 home run and 6 RBI in 2004 before breaking his ankle
in a collision at home plate
.
In , Hill began the season as the starting catcher for the Diamondbacks. His offense, however, did not perform at the level expected, as he would spend the majority of the year platooning with backup catcher Chris Snyder
. Having played in only 34 games in 2005, many in the MLB community felt as though Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin
did not give Hill ample time to develop.
Koyie entered the Diamondbacks spring training
locked in a battle with Snyder for the backup role to Johnny Estrada
, a major off-season acquisition of the Diamondbacks. Although Hill compiled an impressive spring camp (15-30 for a .500 batting average), on April 2, Hill was designated for assignment. On April 6, the Yankees picked him up on waivers only to designate him for assignment on April 14, 2006. On April 17, he accepted an assignment to the Yankees' Triple-A team, the Columbus Clippers
. Once the 2006 season concluded, Hill was released from the Yankees organization. On November 16, 2006, Hill signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs.
On June 1, , Hill was called up to replace the injured Henry Blanco
. Hill saw action later that day as he was put in to the game in the top of the sixth inning after Michael Barrett was taken out of the game after Barrett scuffled with teammate Carlos Zambrano
.
On August 20, 2007, Hill was designated for assignment
. The Cubs signed Hill to a minor league contract in the 2007 off-season with the intent to compete with Henry Blanco
for the backup catcher role in spring training.
On September 1, , Hill's contract was purchased by the Chicago Cubs and he was called up to the expanded 40-man roster.
On March 30, , the Cubs
released veteran backstop Paul Bako
, making Hill
the Cubs
' backup catcher.
Following an injury to Geovany Soto
on July 7, , Hill became the Cubs' starting catcher; as of August 1, he caught all but two-thirds of an inning of the Cubs' 21 games during that period.
Hill has been the cubs backup catcher since 2009, and is primarily a defensive minded catcher.
to cut wood for a window frame. Part of the wood got caught in the saw, and the saw grabbed and his hand was in the way. The saw severed his thumb and severely cut into the other 4 fingers into his hand. He saved them long enough to re-attach the fingers to his hand, and after many months of therapy, was able to regain motion in his fingers.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
) is a 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...
catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
for the 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...
.
Baseball career
While attending Wichita State UniversityWichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
, Hill compiled a .355 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
and 186 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
primarily as a third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
.
In , Hill played as the second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
for Team USA. In the games, he totaled a .284 batting average, 3 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s, and 21 RBI.
Hill made his long awaited debut in the Majors in with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. However, at the time, all-star catcher Paul Lo Duca
Paul Lo Duca
Paul Anthony Lo Duca is a television personality and a former Major League Baseball catcher. Previously, Lo Duca played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Florida Marlins , New York Mets , and Washington Nationals...
was cemented as the Dodgers catcher, making Hill expendable. On July 31, , Hill was one of the most prominent names in a trade, going from the Dodgers to the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
for veteran Steve Finley
Steve Finley
Steven Allen Finley is a former Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early life:Finley, who grew up in Paducah, Kentucky, attended Paducah Tilghman High School and Southern Illinois University, where he earned a degree in physiology and played for the baseball team from 1984–87.-College, Team USA,...
. He would go on to hit .250 with 1 home run and 6 RBI in 2004 before breaking his ankle
Ankle
The ankle joint is formed where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle, or talocrural joint, is a synovial hinge joint that connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower limb with the proximal end of the talus bone in the foot...
in a collision at home plate
Home Plate
Home Plate is the fifth album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1975 .-Track listing:#"What Do You Want the Boy to Do?" – 3:19#"Good Enough" – 2:56#"Run Like a Thief" – 3:02...
.
In , Hill began the season as the starting catcher for the Diamondbacks. His offense, however, did not perform at the level expected, as he would spend the majority of the year platooning with backup catcher Chris Snyder
Chris Snyder
Christopher Cornelius Snyder is a catcher in Major League Baseball who is a Free Agent. He has played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Arizona Diamondbacks. He bats and throws right-handed.-High school and college:...
. Having played in only 34 games in 2005, many in the MLB community felt as though Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin
Bob Melvin
Robert Paul Melvin is the manager of the Oakland Athletics, and a former Major League Baseball catcher.During a 10-year playing career, he played from 1985–94 for seven different teams...
did not give Hill ample time to develop.
Koyie entered the Diamondbacks spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
locked in a battle with Snyder for the backup role to Johnny Estrada
Johnny Estrada
Johnny Pulado Estrada III is a former American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers and the Washington Nationals.Estrada was selected in the 17th round of the 1997 Major...
, a major off-season acquisition of the Diamondbacks. Although Hill compiled an impressive spring camp (15-30 for a .500 batting average), on April 2, Hill was designated for assignment. On April 6, the Yankees picked him up on waivers only to designate him for assignment on April 14, 2006. On April 17, he accepted an assignment to the Yankees' Triple-A team, the Columbus Clippers
Columbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a minor league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The team is owned by the government of Franklin County, Ohio....
. Once the 2006 season concluded, Hill was released from the Yankees organization. On November 16, 2006, Hill signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs.
On June 1, , Hill was called up to replace the injured Henry Blanco
Henry Blanco
Henry Ramón Blanco is a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He currently plays in Major League Baseball as a catcher and is currently a free agent...
. Hill saw action later that day as he was put in to the game in the top of the sixth inning after Michael Barrett was taken out of the game after Barrett scuffled with teammate Carlos Zambrano
Carlos Zambrano
Carlos Alberto Zambrano is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher with the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball. Zambrano, who stands 6' 5" and weighs 260 pounds, was signed by the Cubs as a free agent in 1997 and made his debut in 2001...
.
On August 20, 2007, Hill was designated for assignment
Designated for assignment
Designated for assignment is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball. When a player is designated for assignment, he is immediately removed from the club's 40-man roster. This gives the club 10 days to decide what to do with the player while freeing up a roster spot for another...
. The Cubs signed Hill to a minor league contract in the 2007 off-season with the intent to compete with Henry Blanco
Henry Blanco
Henry Ramón Blanco is a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He currently plays in Major League Baseball as a catcher and is currently a free agent...
for the backup catcher role in spring training.
On September 1, , Hill's contract was purchased by the Chicago Cubs and he was called up to the expanded 40-man roster.
On March 30, , the Cubs
Cubs
Cubs may refer to:*Chicago Cubs, a baseball team of the National League of Major League Baseball**Iowa Cubs, a minor league baseball team of the Pacific Coast League**Daytona Cubs, a minor league baseball team of the Florida State League...
released veteran backstop Paul Bako
Paul Bako
Gabor Paul Bako II is a catcher in Major League Baseball who is currently a free agent. Bako is an example of a baseball "journeyman", having played for 11 different major league teams during his 12-year career...
, making Hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
the Cubs
Cubs
Cubs may refer to:*Chicago Cubs, a baseball team of the National League of Major League Baseball**Iowa Cubs, a minor league baseball team of the Pacific Coast League**Daytona Cubs, a minor league baseball team of the Florida State League...
' backup catcher.
Following an injury to Geovany Soto
Geovany Soto
Geovany Soto is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Chicago Cubs.-Professional career:...
on July 7, , Hill became the Cubs' starting catcher; as of August 1, he caught all but two-thirds of an inning of the Cubs' 21 games during that period.
Hill has been the cubs backup catcher since 2009, and is primarily a defensive minded catcher.
Table saw accident
On October 16, 2007, he was using a table sawTable saw
A table saw or sawbench is a woodworking tool consisting of a circular saw blade, mounted on an arbor, that is driven by an electric motor...
to cut wood for a window frame. Part of the wood got caught in the saw, and the saw grabbed and his hand was in the way. The saw severed his thumb and severely cut into the other 4 fingers into his hand. He saved them long enough to re-attach the fingers to his hand, and after many months of therapy, was able to regain motion in his fingers.
Personal life
- Koyie Hill and his wife, Meghan, have two daughters, Phoenix and Rose, who were born on September 27, 2004. The also have one son, Charlie, who was born in the summer of 2008.
- Hill graduated from Eisenhower High SchoolEisenhower High School (Lawton, Oklahoma)Eisenhower Senior High School is one of three public high schools and is located in west Lawton, Oklahoma. It was the second high school built in Lawton, Oklahoma in the early 1960s....
in Lawton, OklahomaLawton, OklahomaThe city of Lawton is the county seat of Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Located in the southwestern region of Oklahoma approximately southwest of Oklahoma City, it is the principal city of the Lawton Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.