A familiar face returns to Baltimore as DL Hall starts for the Brewers

The Orioles made a massive move this offseason when they acquired Corbin Burnes from the Brewers. In return, the Orioles sent pitcher DL Hall and infielder Joey Ortiz. Both players will make their return to Camden Yards this weekend, with Hall getting the start Saturday afternoon.

DL Hall's time with the Orioles

DL Hall was drafted in the first round in 2017 at just 18 years old. He had an up and down minor league career, which was filled with some injuries and inconsistent play. However, the potential was always there for Hall. He was one of the highest ranking left-handed pitching prospects in all of baseball, and he made multiple MLB.com top 100 prospect lists.

He would go on to make his debut in 2022, but the 2023 season is where Hall made his biggest strides. The Orioles moved Hall from starter to reliever multiple times, but he proved his worth as a reliever towards the end of the 2023 season. Hall threw 19.1 innings out of the pen, pitching to an ERA of 3.26.

He also walked just 2.33 batters per nine innings in 2023, which was way down from his career percentages. By the end of 2023, Hall looked like a future fixture of the Orioles bullpen.

DL Hall's Brewers performance following Corbin Burnes trade

After being dealt to the Brewers in the offseason, Hall was given another chance to earn a spot as a starter. He did just that, with the Brewers moving Hall back into the rotation to start the season. So far, Hall has struggled with the transition.

In his first two starts, Hall has thrown 9.1 innings to an ERA of 4.82. The biggest takeaway from his two outings is that he's not getting many swings and misses. He's struck out just 6 batters in his first two starts. His strikeout percentage is just over 13%, way down from his percentages in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, he had a strikeout rate of 29.7%, and in 2023, it was 28.4%.

The results haven't been great so far for Hall, but his stuff is too good to continue this way. Expect Hall to start getting a lot more swings and misses as the season goes on. Hopefully, he doesn't make this adjustment on Saturday when he takes on his former squad.