Glenallen Hill

Glenallen Hill
Outfielder
Born: March 22, 1965 (1965-03-22) Santa Cruz, California
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 31, 1989 for the Toronto Blue Jays
Last MLB appearance
May 31, 2001 for the Anaheim Angels
Career statistics
Batting average	.271
Home runs	186
Runs batted in	586
Hits	1,005
Teams
Toronto Blue Jays (1989–1991) Cleveland Indians (1991–1993) Chicago Cubs (1993–1994) San Francisco Giants (1995–1997) Seattle Mariners (1998) Chicago Cubs (1998–2000) New York Yankees (2000) Anaheim Angels (2001)
Career highlights and awards
World Series champion (2000)

Glenallen Hill (born March 22, 1965, in Santa Cruz, California) 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.

Career

High school

Hill graduated from Santa Cruz High School 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 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, while a member of the Chicago Cubs, Hill became the first, and thus far only player to hit a home run on the five-story residential building across the street from Wrigley Field at 1032 W. Waveland Ave.

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.

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 Leaguer to serve as a designated hitter in regular season play, doing so on June 12, 1997 in the first-ever game in interleague play as his San Francisco Giants faced the Texas Rangers at The Ballpark at Arlington.

Mitchell Report / Grimsley affidavit

In December 2007, Hill was included in the Mitchell Report 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.

Personal

Hill suffers from an intense condition of arachnophobia. 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."

Mr. Hill is from Santa Cruz, CA. During his career stint with the San Francisco Giants he often reached out to the community in which he grew up. He did several signings and made numerous appearances in the area during this time.

See also

• List of Major League Baseball players named in the Mitchell Report

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• The Hardball Times on Glenallen Hill

Preceded by Johnny Damon

American League Player of the Month August 2000

Succeeded by Jason Giambi