LHP DL Hall (Valdosta HS, GA): 6'1", 190 lbs, born 9/19/1998.
Overview
Fastball: 55. Curveball: 60. Changeup: 50. Command: 50.
DL Hall is one of those draft prospects where everybody seems to be in consensus. Nobody sees him as a top ten player, but any list of the top 20 prospects in this draft will include his name. Nothing jumps out at you about Hall's profile, but he has placed himself firmly as a first rounder. The lefty, though a bit undersized, throws in the low 90's with an excellent curveball. His command isn't particularly strong, but because he's just a high schooler with time to refine it, most scouts aren't worried about it going forward. He should expect to hear his name called somewhere in the teens, unless a team with a top ten pick decides to go underslot with him.
Strengths
Hall's biggest calling card, besides being left handed, is his curveball. In the low to mid 70's, it comes with devastating late break that generates plenty of swing and misses. An easy plus pitch now, it could be plus-plus down the road. He also has a live arm that sits comfortably in the low 90's with his fastball, and his changeup is coming along nicely for a high schooler. He has a tremendously high ceiling, as it is not out of the question that he could develop into an ace. For me, I see a lot of Gio Gonzalez in him, with similar builds, repertoires, and handedness. Both have long arm action, though Gio gets the most out of his while Hall is raw and in need of refinement.
Weaknesses
Hall doesn't have any glaring weaknesses, which, when combined with his high ceiling, make him a very attractive pick in the first round. However, there is always considerable risk with high school pitchers, even lefties, and he does have two pieces of his profile that give scouts pause. He has a slender build, and his height is listed anywhere from 6' to 6'2", making fitting him in the "undersized lefty" demographic. This leads to less projection, which makes his realistic ceiling more along the lines of a #2 or #3 starter than that of an ace. Of course, all this talk of ceiling and floor is really just guesswork, which is why I mentioned in "strengths" that he could still become an ace. Hall's command is average, but he does struggle to repeat his arm slot at times, something that has affected his command but should hopefully be fixable down the road.
No comments:
Post a Comment