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Baltimore Orioles: DL Hall Joins Grayson Rodriguez On Top Prospect List

By Nick Stevens|
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 07: DL Hall #21 of the American League pitches during the third inning against the National League during the All-Stars Futures Game at Progressive Field on July 07, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. The American and National League teams tied 2-2. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 07: DL Hall #21 of the American League pitches during the third inning against the National League during the All-Stars Futures Game at Progressive Field on July 07, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. The American and National League teams tied 2-2. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect DL Hall comes in at number ten on MLB Pipeline’s list of top left-handed pitching prospects.

Leading up to the release of their Top 100 Prospects list for the 2020 season, MLB Pipeline is posting a position-by-position Top 10 list, kicking things off with some of the game’s top pitching prospects. For a second straight day, a Baltimore Orioles prospect has received a Top 10 ranking.

On Tuesday, RHP Grayson Rodriguez came in at number 10 on Pipeline’s list of Top 10 right-handed pitching prospects in baseball, entering this list after an eye-opening 2019 campaign with the Delmarva Shorebirds.

Today, LHP DL Hall rounded out the list of Top 10 left-handed pitching prospects at number 10, a slight drop from his ranking of #9 on this list last season.

Here’s how the complete list shakes out for 2020:

The Top 10 (ETA)

1. MacKenzie Gore, Padres (2020)
2. Jesus Luzardo, A’s (2020)
3. Brendan McKay, Rays (2020)
4. Tarik Skubal, Tigers (2021)
5. Nick Lodolo, Reds (2021)
6. Matthew Liberatore, Cardinals (2022)
7. A.J. Puk, A’s (2020)
8. Daniel Lynch, Royals (2021)
9. Brailyn Marquez, Cubs (2021)
10. DL Hall, Orioles (2021)

The 21-year-old lefty out from Georgia carved his way through the High-A Carolina League last year as a member of the Frederick Keys starting rotation, finishing with a 3.46 ERA (3.22 FIP) and a 33.5% strikeout rate (12.94/9 IP) through 80.2 innings pitched.

After such a dominant season, seeing him fall one spot comes as a bit of shock, but the list doesn’t seem to bother Hall, who posted this tweet after sharing the article on his Twitter page.

Hall allowed just three home runs, despite pitching in a home run-friendly park down in Frederick, Maryland, and held opponents to an unbelievable .185 average. Left-handed hitters managed a bleak .167 average against Hall and were unable to send a ball over the fence in 2019.

As one of the youngest pitchers in the Carolina League, Hall used his four-pitch mix, including a fastball that now sits in the mid-90s, to produce some of the best numbers in minor league baseball. He will now get an opportunity to showcase his stuff in Double-A ball in 2020.

Over Hall’s last four starts of 2019 (before being shut down due to injury), the lefty threw at least 91 pitches in each start, striking out 29 and allowing just eight earned runs on 13 hits across 22.2 innings. He threw more than 90 pitches in a start just once all season before that. Best of all in those last four starts, he kept his high-velocity numbers.

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Like fellow top prospect Grayson Rodriguez, Hall has the potential to be a 1/2 starter in the Orioles rotation, if he reaches his peak. Of course, walks have been a major issue with Hall, increasing his walk rate from 10.7% in 2018 to 15.6% last season, but there’s no denying the fact that he possesses some of the more electric stuff in baseball, not just for a lefty.

If you want a reason to buy MiLB TV next season, all 140 Bowie Baysox games are streamed, meaning plenty of opportunities to watch one of the best prospects in baseball work his way through Eastern League hitters in 2020.

Tomorrow, MLB Pipeline will release their list of the Top 10 catching prospects, where I’m fairly confident in seeing Adley Rutschman’s name sitting at the very top.

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