Elliott: Adam Hall has potential to be Canada's greatest shortstop
Adam Hall takes ground balls at Tournament 12 Scout Day. Photo Credit: Tyler King
By: Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
The best Canadian shortstop ever?
That was the question of the day as the best high schoolers from coast to coast gathered for workout sessions at the Rogers Centre as the fourth annual Tournament 12 began on Thursday.
The most accomplished shortstop?
Some scouts were stumped, while T12 coaches contemplated different names before coming up with answers:
Was it a guy on the rise like Sean Jamieson (Simcoe, Ont.) at Triple-A Reno this year in the Arizona Diamondbacks system?
Veteran minor leaguer Jonathan Malo (Laval, Que.) now of the Quebec Capitales?
Players scouts dreamed on middle infielders like Steve Nash (Victoria, BC) who won an NBA MVP award or Michael Saunders (Victoria, BC) the Blue Jays outfielder who used to play the game’s most important position?
Part-time shortstops and full-time boppers like Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, BC) or Matt Stairs (Fredericton, NB).
Or former major leaguers Kevin Nicholson (Surrey, BC), Danny Klassen (Leamington, Ont.) or Peter Orr (Newmarket, Ont.)?
“You know Taylor Green and I have had this discussion before ... more than once,” said Orr of their days together at triple-A Nashville. “It’s a difficult question to answer.”
The answer is probably Nicholson, a first-round draft of the San Diego Padres in 1997 who started 24 games at shortstop for San Diego in 2000.
Yet, the best shortstop query is not like asking who is the most accomplished Canuck pitcher (Fergie Jenkins), outfielder (Larry Walker), first baseman (Joey Votto/Justin Morneau) or catcher (Russell Martin).
Why don’t we as a baseball nation produce more middle infielders? The answers vary from players concentrating on hitting or pitching at indoor facilities, the lack of reps outdoors due to weather and the majority of facilities where a full infield can’t be staged.
Orr didn’t have a job this summer for the first time since he signed with the Atlanta Braves 16 seasons ago. He spent 10 days with coach Greg Hamilton on the Canadian Junior National Team’s trip to ESPN’s Wide World of Sports spending mornings and afternoons in his old stomping grounds at the Braves complex and evenings at Carrabbas Italian Grill.
Near the end of the trip Orr pulled out his phone and texted Green, now a pro scout with the Milwaukee Brewers.
“We got one,” Orr’s text read.
Orr was speaking of Adam Hall (London, Ont.) who played shortstop.
“He has everything you need to be a great player from a physical standpoint,” said Orr, who added Hall’s mental intensity is more impressive. “He has a quiet confidence that he’s going to have a great day every day. I never had that.”
Orr played 443 games with the Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies and the Braves, plus another 1,320 games in the minors, yet this teenager with Ontario Black had qualities Orr never had -- according to Orr.
It’s one of the reasons Hall is ranked 22nd -- up from 36th -- on the Perfect Game Scouting Service’s ranking of the top 500 high schoolers.
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Helen Hall was born and raised in Bermuda, attended the University of Western Ontario and graduated from teacher’s college at the University of Calgary. After marrying Ty, Helen taught Grade 3 at a public school and then grade 5 at a private school in Bermuda.
On May 22, 1999, Adam Hall was born in Bermuda. Mom said he gave baseball a try since there was a ball diamond near their house and he fell in love with the game. A batting cage was soon in the back yard and a net to throw in. Ty hit ground balls to his son. At age nine Ty said his son was clocked at 60 MPH.
Since both Helen and Ty were teachers they had time to travel in the summer and Adam was on the road at an early age visiting the Bucky Dent School in Delray Beach, Fla., The Baseball Zone at Ireland Park in Burlinton and on a trip home to London a Christmas camp at Centre Field Sports.
“Adam Stern asked if we had a summer team and suggested Mike Lumley’s London Badgers,” Helen said. Hall arrived ahead of his parents to stay first with Tyler’s mom Susan Remington and stepdad Bill Remington in Woodstock and then with Badgers coach Ken Frohwerk and Karen Stone playing as a minor peewee and peewee.
Soon after all the Halls were together as a family in London. Adam has been on the road ever since those early days. “Missing him is the hardest part,” mom says. Ty says “their son has never been homesick” but Mom added, “we were boysick.”
Besides heading to Florida with Hamilton in both March and April, he toured the Dominican Republic and Cuba.
He attended the Perfect Game showcase in Florida with a Padres scout team, Under Armour Game at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, the East Coast Pro Showcase at Stienbrenner Field in Tampa, the Area Code Games at Long Beach, Calif., the PG All-American Classic at San Diego’s Petco Park and the Red Sox-Yankees Series at Boston’s Fenway Park.
The Halls were quick to credit the people at Centre Field Sports, like Chris Robinson and Stern “who have been through all of this before, they did a lot of the legwork, we’re so lucky they know the process, there hasn’t been any surprises.”
“You see Fenway on TV, but it’s even better when you are there,” said Adam Hall, projected to be the top Canuck next June in the 2017 draft. He credits Stern with helping him become a better infielder, “even thought Stern was as an outfielder when he played.”
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One shortstop being atop the Canadian talent pile is rare. How rare is two of the top three?
SS Jason Willow (Victoria, BC) is ranked 146th on Perfect Game’s top 500 as the third highest Canadian -- OF Cooper Davis (Misssissauga, Ont.) is listed as 121st. Willow played for Victoria Mariners coach Mike Chewpoy, who also coached Rich Harden and Michael Saunders.
At the Area Code Games, Royals’ Willow hit a missile of a line drive homer down the left field line that really carried tucking in over fence by the foul pole. He says “that home run at the Area Code changed my life forever,” and you wish you knew him better to know whether he is the next John McDonald or Joe Biagini.
Willow was playing in the outfield that day. Sometimes he is Hall’s double play partner with the Canuck Juniors and other days he is in the outfield.
“Some scouts will come by and tell me my future is as an outfielder, other people will say I’m a second baseman, others will say keep working hard at short,” says Willow, who roomed with Hall in Cuba. “I’m happy to some day be able to tell my kids I played with Adam Hall.”
* * *
The shortstops evaluate each other
Willow on what Hall does best: “he is a pure athlete, it’s amazing how easy it looks like things come so easy for him. He has his mojo working.”
Willow on what Hall needs to work on: “sometimes things get in his head, like if he pops up a ball or makes an error. I love it when I get to turn double plays with him.”
Hall of what Willow does best: “he always manages to stay calm and never lets things bother him.”
Hall on what Willow needs to work on: “everyone needs to work on things, sometimes he’s kind of caught between positions.”
* * *
“I liked Adam Hall when he showed four years ago as a Grade 9 student,” said one scout. “It happened the way it was supposed to: we kept coming back and he kept improving.”
“The best Canadian shortstop ever?” said one scout nodding toward Hall, “it just might be Adam Hall when all is said and done.”
Career starts at shortstop by Canadians
Name, Hometown, Years Games
1. Arthur Irwin (Toronto, Ont.) 1880-1894 947
Worcester Ruby Legs, Providence Greys, Philadelphia Quakers, Washington Nationals Boston Reds, Philadelphia Phillies
2. Pop Smith (Digby, NS) 1880-1891 336
Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Blues, Buffallo Bisons, Worcester Ruby Legs, Louisville Eclipse, Columbus Buckeyes, Pittsburgh Alleghenys, Boston Beaneaters Washington Statesmen..
3. Frank O’Rourke (Hamilton, Ont.) 1912-1931 289
Boston Braves, Brooklyn Robins, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Browns
4. Milt Whitehead (Toronto, Ont.) 1884 95
St. Louis Maroons, Kansas City Cowboys
5. Kevin Nicholson (Surrey, BC) 2000 25
San Diego Padres
6. Dave McKay (Vancouver, BC) 1975-1982 19
Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland A’s
-- Compiled by Neil Munro
Roll call I: The Jays, who are being good corporate citizens hosting this event, have 10 sets of eyes working the tournament, while the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks have three scouts each. The Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers each have two scouts here. There are 13 other teams with one scout working the tourney. Only the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals are not represented. So 44 scouts were on hand with a total of 58 scouting packages picked up.
Roll call II: Universities on hand ... Albany, Bryan, Eastern Kentucky, Hawaii, University of Miami, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Niagara, Northern Kentucky, Purdue, St. John’s, Utah and Washington.
Four-year schools: University of British Columbia, Davenport, Fraser Valley.
Two-year schools: Indian Hills Community College, Iowa Western Community College, Southeastern Community College.
Elsewhere: Andrew Halipchuk: Airdrie’s Ayden Makarus Rocky View Publishing