DL Hall 2022

[RZNJ]

Just now, Sports Guy said:

 

I obviously am not talking about a 1-1 deal if we are trading for a very good starter.  I guess I could have been more clear on that considering my audience but I figured that would be obvious.  
 

 

 

I understood that. Hall and something else is going to get a #4 starter type depending on the rest of the package. You said cost controlled so that could be a young guy or veteran on a multi year contract. 

[Sports Guy]

3 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

I understood that. Hall and something else is going to get a #4 starter type.

I disagree 

[RZNJ]

2 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

I disagree 

Sure.  Of course.  Hall, Santander, and a B prospect is going to get you a cost controlled #3 starter or better.   Yeah!    

There are so many variables.   How many years do you consider cost controlled?

[Sports Guy]

1 minute ago, RZNJ said:

Sure.  Of course.  Hall, Santander, and a B prospect is going to get you a cost controlled #3 starter or better.   Yeah!    

There are so many variables.   

Ok

[Tony-OH]

16 hours ago, justD said:

I was at this game.  While it's disappointing, here are a few notes. 

The weather was definitely a factor today.  It's clearly the hottest/most humid day we've had this series.  

The bullpens allow you to basically stand within 6 feet from the pitcher on the other side of a mesh screen.  He threw several warm-up pitches, perhaps about 15, before bending over and taking a few deep breaths.  Coach asks, "You okay?" and he nods.  "Is it the heat?" Nods again and then waves him off and says he'll be fine, he'll be fine. 

First three innings were the usual.  Weather again played a role because it was blowing out hard to center field, I mean almost the way you'd see it in Sarasota in the spring.  The stadium sits on a hill.  While you don't get much wind on the field, once the ball got up toward left or center it was carrying incredibly well.  (I think this aided Gunnar's first inning HR as well.)

In fact, his fastball was sitting at 97, with an occasional 98.  Most of his offspeed to righties were fouled off to the left, over and over again.  I mean, that one pitch got him a lot of strikes.  

But here's where it gets so weird.  For whatever reason, and maybe it was because today he wanted to work on fastball command specifically, he was throwing 5, 6 fastballs in a row.  The guy who hit the two-run single had missed two completely, then fouled one off, and I begged the gods that he wouldn't throw another because the guy really seemed to be timing it up, and bam, another fastball and two runs scored. 

In the fourth, his command fell way off (I mean, he works on command all the time, but this was more pronounced) and his velocity was 94.  And then 94.  And then a 95, then back to 94.  

Once again, there was a guy named Peterson who had been having a great series for the IronPigs so far, and they were throwing him fastballs, one after another.  Ten pitches.  It was impressive that the guy couldn't square one up, kept fouling them straight back, but then there was the eventual walk on the tenth pitch. 

The next batter?  Five offspeed pitches in a row. 

The broadcaster remarked that all during the game, both sides' pitchers were annoyed with a rather tight strike zone as well.  During this fourth inning, there were several pitches where the body language betrayed a great deal of frustration with not getting pitches called.  I couldn't 100% tell from where I was, but it seemed like it was mostly fastballs low and on the corners. 

What I didn't think was great was that his frustration with himself and with the umpiring and being so uncomfortable with the heat seemed to cause him to lose concentration, to where he looked kinda lost when there was a runner on second and he needed to check the card to ensure he and the catcher were using the same code (or whatever you call it) for signs.  In the first inning he looked so calm and cool and enjoying himself.  Throughout the 4th he looked tired and frustrated and whatever the opposite of composed is. 

Looked like a young man with growing pains.  Don't know how he'll finally establish command but it just seems way too early to panic and way too soon to think of "letting him learn in the majors." There've been guys I thought could do that; he just doesn't look ready yet. 

But damn, sometimes his pitches just give me goosebumps.  I've still got a good feeling about this one.

p.s. I'll post some pics and video tomorrow after uploading and such, fwiw.  I mean, you can see him on mlb.tv but I got some from warmups. 

p.p.s. weams would always see things differently than I; the guys he loved were guys I'd write off in a heartbeat, and often vice versa.  So take this all with a grain of salt   

Great report D. Thanks!

[Tony-OH]

5 hours ago, Ohfan67 said:

I don't think he can command his stuff for three innings in the majors. He's going to give up so many walks. That said, I was just quibbling over the details. IF he's not injured/hurting, which is a bit of an if as you alluded to in an earlier post, then I think the Orioles should promote Hall. I would only use him for an inning at a time and I expect some of those innings will be ugly. 

 

I am also wondering if he's hiding an injury. It seems pretty odd that he would struggle with the heat even in warm ups. Just D's report of the conversation she heard in the bullpen during warmups could easily be Hall saying "yeah" when asked if it is the heat when it could be something else. Just speculation on my part, but he's got an injury history and easy to imagine that he would want to cover up a nagging injury if he thought it would delay promotion. 

 

Or maybe he was feeling under the weather weather a bit and that affected him more than usual?

I'm not making excuses for the poor outing, but the drop in velocity in the 4th inning, the ad body language, the struggles of command all seem like a guy who was a bit exhausted out there. 

 

[Mooreisbetter27]

29 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Or maybe he was feeling under the weather weather a bit and the hat affected him more than usual?

I'm not making excuses for the poor outing, but the drop in velocity in the 4th inning, the ad body language, the struggles of command all seem like a guy who was a bit exhausted out there. 

 

Gotta agree with this.  I run around with my kids on the playground in the heat and I need to sit down for a while.  I mean, I am 40, but still.  Weather can certainly be a factor.  

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, RZNJ said:

I understood that. Hall and something else is going to get a #4 starter type depending on the rest of the package. You said cost controlled so that could be a young guy or veteran on a multi year contract. 

 

2 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

I disagree 

Depends what the “something else” is.   

[justD]

2 hours ago, Ohfan67 said:

I am also wondering if he's hiding an injury. It seems pretty odd that he would struggle with the heat even in warm ups. 

I hear what you're saying, but he'd been out in the sun on the field with stretching and long tosses for close to half an hour by then.  Also, he was really strong in the first three innings - I don't think he could've done that if he was hiding an injury.  

Was also thinking, btw, what if his routine got out of kilter because it was a day game?  I know he should be way past that by now, but having missed so much time, maybe he still hasn't made that adjustment often enough to know how he wants to deal with it? 

[Frobby]

35 minutes ago, justD said:

I hear what you're saying, but he'd been out in the sun on the field with stretching and long tosses for close to half an hour by then.  Also, he was really strong in the first three innings - I don't think he could've done that if he was hiding an injury.  

Was also thinking, btw, what if his routine got out of kilter because it was a day game?  I know he should be way past that by now, but having missed so much time, maybe he still hasn't made that adjustment often enough to know how he wants to deal with it? 

He also hasn’t pitched much on 4 days’ rest, as he did here.   The way the minors are scheduled these days, with every Monday an off day, usually the only time a starter goes on 4 days’ rest is if he happens to be the Tuesday starter, which he was last week.   

We shouldn’t make too many excuses though.   Major league pitchers have to pitch on really hot days, during day games, on four days’ rest.  And as a Georgia native, Hall certainly has pitched on hot days plenty of times.   
 

[justD]

10 hours ago, Frobby said:

We shouldn’t make too many excuses though.  

Agreed.  When you've seen someone be electric, you want to come up with why one game would be so miserable, and that's where I'm coming from.  Maybe trying to justify picking this game, of all I might have, to drive out there?  (I still had a blast regardless)

What I do want to reiterate is that it seems his lack of composure with adversity needs to be matured-into (?).  On one of the shows this morning they talked about a guy having ice in his veins.  This is what he and Grayson both seem to need to develop IMO. 

Here's a video of my clips:

 

[RZNJ]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

 

Depends what the “something else” is.   

D.L. Hall is a potential #1 or #2 starter but it's not likely.   Is he even a #3 starter with control issues?    Maybe.   Most likely he's a power reliever but there's still a chance for the #3 starter with control issues and a smaller chance for the TOR starter.    That something else better be pretty good to get another team to give up a "cost controlled #3 starter".    

[LookinUp]

56 minutes ago, justD said:

What I do want to reiterate is that it seems his lack of composure with adversity needs to be matured-into (?).  One on of the shows this morning they talked about a guy having ice in his veins.  This is what he and Grayson both seem to need to develop IMO. 

Yep. Seems like he needs experience. He has stuff. Needs command and needs to hunker down to get through bad situations. It's incredible how few games and innings he's actually thrown as a pro. 263 IP in 4.5 minor league seasons, which doesn't count 2020.

[justD]

33 minutes ago, LookinUp said:

Yep. Seems like he needs experience. He has stuff. Needs command and needs to hunker down to get through bad situations. It's incredible how few games and innings he's actually thrown as a pro. 263 IP in 4.5 minor league seasons, which doesn't count 2020.

Exactly.

 

[gold21030]

Couldn't read the article because of the paywall, but apparently Hall has been tipping his pitches. Would make sense why his strikeouts seemed to be lower the last few starts/why he struggled to put guys away.