Georgia high school baseball has produced some of the nation’s top players in recent years. That group includes a familiar name on the verge of his MLB debut: Baltimore Orioles prospect DL Hall.
A former standout pitcher at both Valdosta and Houston County, Hall was considered one of the top prep prospects going into the 2017 MLB Draft out of high school. After posting a 1.24 ERA as a senior at Valdosta, along with a .364 AVG at the plate, Hall landed with the Orioles at No. 21 overall in the first round.
Even after limited action in 2017 during his professional debut, Hall was considered one of Baltimore’s top prospects entering the 2018 campaign, and he backed up that lofty billing with a phenomenal season. Posting a 2.10 ERA during his first professional season in Low-A, Hall concluded the 2018 campaign as the Orioles’ No. 5 overall prospect.
The former Georgia prep star went on to post a 3.46 ERA during the 2019 season in High-A, where he was ranked as high as Baltimore’s No. 3 prospect. By then Hall was established as one of the top young left-handed prospects in the game, but his development was slowed when Covid-19 forced the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season and his 2021 season was shortened by an injury.
Despite only 31.2 IP combined across the last two years, however, Hall was added to the Orioles’ 40-man roster last offseason, with signs pointing toward a potential MLB debut in the near future. Hall has spent a majority of the 2022 season to date in Triple-A, his first career experience at the minor leagues’ highest level. He’s made only a few starts thus far, so the Orioles may decide to keep him down a little longer to gain more experience and get back to full strength.
The Orioles – a team with one of baseball’s top overall farm systems – recently called up one of the prominent names from that group in star catching prospect Adley Rutschman, with multiple other prospects nearing MLB readiness. Could DL Hall be next to make his MLB debut at some point in the near future?
