Baltimore Orioles: DL Hall gets the call

It’s finally happening! LHP DL Hall, the Baltimore Orioles’ 4th ranked prospect and FanGraphs’ 22nd overall ranked prospect, will be joining the big league club in St. Petersburg as they begin a pivotal three game set against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Hall’s debut for the O’s has been long-anticipated. The soon-to-be 24 year old was the Orioles first round selection in 2017 and has established himself as one of Major League premier left handed pitching prospects thanks to a fastball that touches triple digits and breaking balls that buckle the knees of anyone who dare face them. Hall threw 175 innings in his first two pro seasons (one in Delmarva, one in Frederick) and finished with an impressive 2.73 ERA and 216 strikeouts.

LHP DL Hall has been called up by the Baltimore Orioles

Hall has rebounded well in 2022 after losing the 2020 season due to Minor League Baseball’s shutdown due to COVID-19 and being shut down last summer due to a stress reaction in his elbow; he started in Hi-A Aberdeen and was promoted to AAA Norfolk within two weeks, where he has a 4.03 FIP and a staggering 14.66 K/9 through 70 innings.

The Baltimore Sun’s Andy Kostka reported that Hall is expected to start Saturday’s game at Tropicana Field, pitting him against fellow flamethrowing lefty Shane McClanahan. The fact that the organization has entrusted DL Hall to make a start in such a crucial game speaks volumes about how highly the Baltimore Orioles organization rates the young hurler.

Command has been a bit of a bugaboo for Hall this season and at other times throughout his career, but proven professor Chris Holt and top tier receiver Adley Rutschman await him at the big club and will provide a nurturing environment in which he can develop. The stuff is unquestionably dominant and if DL Hall can harness it, the Baltimore Orioles will have a rotation mainstay.