Hall Moves On
by Mike Ashmore

Since its inception in 1998, the Atlantic League has sent hundreds of players back to affiliated baseball.

Recently, the Patriots contributed their 24th player to that total.

If you blinked you may have missed him, but outfielder Noah Hall was picked up by the Yankees after just one game in Somerset.

"It was awesome, (Somerset) was really a great place. I liked it," Hall said. "If I ever had to go back to that league, that's one of the best places to go. From what I'd heard from other people and from what I'd seen myself, they're just classy over there."

After going 2-for-4 as the Patriots opening day starting left fielder, Hall found himself signed by the 26-time World Champs, and was assigned to Trenton.

"They said before Spring Training that if somebody gets hurt, they might have a spot for me," he said.

"When you hear that, you get excited. But then you're like we'll see. And sure enough, they called. I'm very grateful to them to give me an opportunity to play at this level."

Hall came to the Patriots with previous experience in independent baseball, having played for the St. Paul Saints of the Frontier League back in 2001.

The Cincinnati Reds picked him up then and sent him straight to Triple-A, and he spent the next five seasons in affiliated ball with the Reds, Nationals, Blue Jays, Orioles and White Sox.

But with over 1,000 minor league games under his belt, the 29-year-old is still looking to play in his first Major League contest.

So is he just a fill-in, or does he have a future with the big club?

"That's a good question right there," Hall said. "I'd like to view myself as a guy that can move up. For me, I've kind of done what I need to do at this level. I've had good years here, I'd like to see what I can do at Triple-A."


Currently at Double-A Trenton, Hall is hitting .259 with one home run and 10 RBI in his first 18 games.

SomerStuff: With Jose Morban on the disabled list, Anton French and Dave Elder having left for Mexico and Jason Anderson signing with the Phillies, there were plenty of roster spots to be had on the Somerset Patriots.

Keith Ramsey, who was one of the Patriots most consistent starters last season, was brought back after a short stint in the Texas Rangers organization. With the Patriots bullpen continuing to struggle, Ramsey is expected to help out there before eventually being moved back into the starting rotation.

The club also signed Alan Zinter, a 39-year-old utility player who was the New York Mets first round pick in 1989. Zinter is somewhat famous for having made his Major League debut with the Astros in 2002 after 1,414 games in the minor leagues. He also reached the Majors in 2004 with the Diamondbacks, and hasn't played below the Triple-A level since 1995.

Daily Patriots Coverage: AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com

 

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