The A’s had optioned the ambidextrous, switch-hitting Hill to Triple-A in spring training of 1985 when Tony Phillips broke his foot. Hill took Phillips’s second base job and, changing from a pull hitter to a spray hitter, improved his average from .230 in 1984 to a career-high .285.
Hill was traded to the White Sox in December 1986 for Gene Nelson and Bruce Tanner, but his 1987 season was marred by conjunctivitis caused by his contact lenses. He was released after his average dropped to .217 in 1988, and spent 1989 with the A’s Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma. Hill resurfaced as a utility infielder with the Angels, but never hit enough to win a regular job.
