Josh Hill

Joshua James Hill (Shaggy)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 225 lb.
• High School Numerous sources list Lake Hawarra High School but online searches show no references to this school not involving Hill.

• Born March 27, 1983 in Armadale, Western Australia Australia

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Josh Hill has pitched 7 years in the minor leagues through 2007 and has also pitched for the Australian national team.

Hill debuted with the GCL Twins in 2001, going 2-2 with a 3.63 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched. In the 2002 Claxton Shield, he went 1-0 with a save, tossing six scoreless innings for New South Wales. He split the minor league season between the Quad City River Bandits (0.00 ERA in two games), Elizabethton Twins (2-1, 2.18, 12 H, 13 BB, 23 K in 21 IP, .166 opponent average) and GCL Twins (1-1, 2 Sv, 3.54, 21 K in 20 IP). In 2003, Hill pitched four scoreless innings for New South Wales, whiffing eight and allowing only one hit in a fine Claxton Shield performance. Back in the USA, he had a 7-4, 3.95 record for Quad City, striking out 132. He was second among Minnesota Twins farmhands in strikeouts, 7 behind J.D. Durbin and 4th in the Midwest League, 12 back of leader Joe Blanton. It was his only season in which he was primarily a starter.

Hill had right shoulder surgery in August of 2003 and barely pitched in 2004. He was 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 3 games for the Fort Myers Miracle and 0-1 with a 0.90 ERA in six games for the GCL Twins. Hitting the comeback trail in 2005, Hill had a 6.97 ERA in 7 games for Fort Myers and was 4-7 with four saves and a 3.66 ERA for the Beloit Snappers. He was now being used as a swingman, a role he would hold for the next couple years.

Hill was a late addition to the Australian roster for the 2006 World Baseball Classic, replacing the injured Ryan Rowland-Smith. Josh pitched one game, relieving Damian Moss with a 3-1 deficit in the bottom of the third, two outs and Ronnie Belliard on second base. Hill allowed a RBI single to Wily Mo Pena and walked Alberto Castillo on four pitches before Jon Deeble yanked him in favor of Paul Mildren.

Hill was 6-6 with a 4.88 ERA for Fort Myers in 2006. He had a 3.18 ERA in two outings for Australia in the 2006 Intercontinental Cup. He split 2007 between Fort Myers (3-2, 3.00) and the New Britain Rock Cats (3-2, 4.36). In the 2007 Baseball World Cup, he pitched four games for Australia, allowing 8 hits, 4 walks and 4 runs in 6 1/3 IP; only Adrian Burnside had a worse ERA than Hill's 5.68 for the Aussies. Hill was awful against the Venezuelan national team, allowing 4 walks, 4 hits and 4 runs in 3 2/3 IP in a rough start.In the second inning, he hit one batter and walked two, setting up a 3-run triple from Liu Rodriguez, who scored on a single by Lino Connell. Dushan Ruzic relieved Hill and five other relievers shut down Venezuela the rest of the way in a win. He pitched two scoreless innings in relief against Team Canada, trying to salvage the game after a rough start by Burnside as Australia again rallied to win. Relieving Adam Blackley in the 7th against Mexico, Hill hit Baltazar Lopez with his first pitch and was promptly ejected, replaced by Rich Thompson. He pitched 2/3 of an inning in a 5-2 loss to South Korea in the fifth-place game.

Hill was picked by the Indianapolis Indians in the AAA phase of the 2007 Rule V Draft that off-season. He was assigned to the Altoona Curve and went 4-11 with a 4.53 ERA in 2008. He was on Australia's roster for the 2009 World Baseball Classic but did not pitch.

Sources:

• 2002-2007 Baseball Almanacs
• Flintoff & Dunn Australian Baseball Almanacs
• Hill's game in the 2006 World Baseball Classic
• MILB.com
• IBAF site
• 2007 Twins Media Guide