The 40 Greatest Orioles of All-Time - No. 32 - Dick Hall

32. Dick Hall, RHP (1961-1966, 1969-1971)

Dick Hall was 6'6", 200 pounds, and originally an outfielder. Signed by the Pirates in 1951, Hall made his major league debut in 1952 at age 21. He had his first real action in 1954, when he hit .239/.304/.310 with two home runs and 27 RBI. The Pirates also experimented with him at second and third base a little bit, but Hall didn't mature as a hitter.

So he switched to pitching in 1955, as a starter. He went 6-6 in 15 games (13 starts) with a 3.91 ERA in 1955. The next year, he was 0-7 with a 4.76 ERA in 19 games (nine starts). In '57 he pitched eight awful games of relief, and then missed the 1958 season with hepatitis. He hit his stride in the Pacific Coast League in 1959, leading the league in ERA, wins and winning percentage.

In December 1959, he was traded to the Kansas City A's with Ken Hamlin in exchange for Hal Smith. He started 28 games for Kansas City in 1960, going 8-13 with a 4.05 ERA.

And that's where his Oriole career starts. The A's sent Dicks Hall and Williams to Baltimore for Chuck Essegian and Jerry Walker on April 12, 1961. Hall threw 122 1/3 innings that season, 29 appearances with 13 starts. He went 7-5, saved four games, and had a 3.09 ERA and 126 park-adjusted ERA+. In 1962, he hit his stride with a 2.28 ERA in 118 1/3 innings. In the '63 season, Hall retired 28 consecutive batters over five appearances from July 24 through August 17. His best season was 1964, when he went 9-1 with seven saves and a 1.85 ERA.

Hall was a good control pitcher, rarely walking anyone unintentionally. He had OK strikeout numbers. He also had an awkward delivery that nowadays someone would probably try to fix.

After a World Series title, the Orioles sent Hall to Philadelphia during the winter of 1966, in exchange for John Morris. Morris wound up throwing in 19 games for the Orioles before he was exposed in the '68 expansion draft and taken by the Seattle Pilots. Hall had a very good 1967 season for Philadelphia, winning ten games, saving eight, and posting a 2.20 ERA. He returned to Baltimore as a free agent in 1969, and stayed through 1971, winning two more pennants in 1969 and 1971 and one more World Series in 1970.

As for how good Hall's control was, in 1970, at age 39, Hall pitched 61 1/3 innings of relief over 32 games. He won 10 games, had three saves, and walked six people. For his career, he had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.14, which would rank 22nd in baseball history if the only qualification is 100 decisions.

FRANCHISE RANKINGS
10th, Games Pitched (342)
7th, Saves (58)
6th, Games Finished (175)