Rangers add Hall to catching corps

It sounded like the Rangers wanted a legitimate alternative starting catcher because of the lingering questions about the health of Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s shoulder. Instead, what they ended up with on Friday was Toby Hall. Hall seemed to pretty much wreck his career when he opted to play through a torn labrum in 2007. He hit an abysmal .207/.225/.241 in 116 at-bats as A.J. Pierzynski’s backup for the White Sox that season. Still on a guaranteed contract, he followed it up by hitting .260/.304/.331 in 2008. He finally underwent the labrum surgery last February and spent the 2009 season rehabbing. Hall was known far more for his offense than his defense as a prospect when he was coming up with the Rays. However, he never did meet expectations with the bat, and now that his shoulder isn’t what it used to be, he doesn’t belong in the majors at all. The Rangers should still be looking at a Salty-Taylor Teagarden duo for 2010.