MLB: Moe Hill: Midwest League superstar (Part two)

PART TWO

Moe Hill had just completed a monster year (1974) in which he had won the Triple Crown in the Class A Midwest League while toiling for the Wisconsin Rapids Twins. It was one of the best seasons ever by a player in the history of the league. (In fact, Hill performed so well that in 1999 Baseball America named him the top player in the history of the Midwest League.)

And yet, he was not promoted. Did racism play a part?

Perhaps.

Even though Hill is not prejudiced, he understands what small-town baseball is like for minority players.

"I was the first black player to play American Legion ball in North Carolina, so I went through some of the same stuff that Jackie Robinson did."

Hill tried to understand the situation at Wisconsin Rapids, but came to the conclusion that some degree of racism might have been involved regarding the Twins’ plans or rather, lack of them, for Hill.

"I hate to look at it that way, but yes I do (feel some racism was involved)," said Hill. "I’m not a prejudiced person. Some of my best friends in baseball are white. And to me, I don’t look at the color of anybody’s skin – I look at the person as an individual."

So Hill swallowed his pride and did the two jobs he was asked to do: play baseball and mentor the young black players.

He slammed 31 homers while hitting a solid .275 for the Twins. Although his season was not as spectacular as the previous campaign, it was still terrific by any standards. Keep in mind that this was before the days of the "rabbit ball."

Even though Hill knew why he was still playing in the Midwest League, he couldn’t help but feel that he was being taken advantage of.

"What do they have in store (for me)?" wondered Hill. "What do they want me to do?" It would have been real easy for Hill to "dog it," but he had a better idea.

"I just decided to go out and do my job the best that I could."

Hill celebrated this country’s bicentennial in Wisconsin Rapids. Instead of seeing big ships in New York’s harbor, he worked on his game in the backwaters of the Midwest League. He continued to wonder about his situation, but that didn’t affect his play, as he smacked 30 home runs for the third consecutive year, and batted at a .272 clip.

That was the year that Hill almost quit baseball.

"Not many people know this, but I almost quit after that year," said Hill. "I don’t think I ever showed a negative attitude except for that year."

But after talking over the situation with friends and family, Hill decided to stay in baseball and perform to the best of his abilities.

Sometime during this period, the Twins were looking for a manager for Wisconsin Rapids, and Hill had thought that he would be mentioned as a candidate.

"I can’t recall the exact year, but we had the managerial problems, and I asked (to be considered) for the manager’s job," said Hill. "Brophy (Twins’ farm director George) had promised me that they would consider making me a manager, but they never did.

"I hate to be negative toward anything, but a couple years later, I was interviewed by Sport magazine. They interviewed Brophy, and he denied everything. He even denied talking to me (about the manager’s job)."

So once again, Hill was ostracized. Was it because of his color? We will never know. But Hill tried to put all the difficulties behind him, and based on his 1977 season, he was pretty successful.

Big Moe smacked 41 home runs, which set a new record for most taters in league history (Jeff Jones of Cedar Rapids hit 42 in 1982), knocked in 112 runs, and hit .304.

Believe it or not, he didn’t even get selected for the all-star team that year!

Hill had led the league in home runs four straight years, led in RBIs in three of those seasons, and even collected a batting title. And what did he have to show for it?

Another year in Wisconsin Rapids.

Although he didn’t get the respect he deserved from the Twins, he got plenty from the rest of the league.

"Dick McLaughlin (then-Clinton Dodger manager and current Ranger organization base running and bunting instructor) told everyone he had a contract out on me," laughed Hill. "It was all in fun. I was just tearing his pitching staff apart."

Those same Dodgers tried to trade for Hill, but the Twins, for whatever reason, were not interested.

"The Dodgers tried to make a deal for me," said Hill. "But I found out later that Brophy would not let me go."

Hill played one final year at Wisconsin Rapids, and hit 25 homers while batting .279. He was 31 years old, and still in Class "A" ball. The Twins "rewarded" Hill by moving him up to "AA" ball in 1979.

He hit a few homers, but otherwise had a bad year. The Twins decided to put the ever-loyal Hill on the scrap heap and sold him to the Royals.

"It was discouraging, and it still is," said Hill. "I don’t have a chip on my shoulder for baseball. I just have a chip on my shoulder for the Minnesota Twins. I had a bitter taste in my mouth. They waited until I was 32 until they sold my contract to Kansas City."

Hill played in the Royals’ organization in 1980, and then became a roving hitting instructor for them, a position that he held for five years. He spent the next five years in the same post in the Seattle organization.

He then became a scout and coach in the Cubs’ chain. He worked for them for eight seasons, before moving back to the American League with the Rangers.

Hill is currently the hitting instructor for the Tulsa Drillers, a position he has held for three seasons. Although he didn’t make the big leagues as a player, Hill still has aspirations for making the majors as a coach.

"My ultimate goal is to make it to the major leagues as a coach someday," he said. "If I don’t make it to the big leagues with Texas, there are twenty-nine other clubs out there that may be looking for a Moe Hill for their club."

Besides doing his part in getting players ready for the big leagues, Hill finds time for other hobbies. He likes to play golf, and goes hunting and fishing during the off-season. He also works for his brother’s landscaping business in North Carolina, and does private baseball instructing and participates in baseball camps.

Moe Hill has been in professional baseball for thirty-five years, and has as much enthusiasm today as he did when he was a teenager. He can always wonder "what if?" But Hill is reality-based, and plays the cards as they are dealt, whether they are aces or deuces. The game has been, is, and always will be a part of his life.

"I loved playing baseball and I love being part of baseball."