Former Philadelphia Phillies Fan Favorite Slugger Signs Deal With Pittsburgh Pirates

One of the former Philadelphia Phillies sluggers has found a new home with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Aug 16, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Darick Hall (25) high fives teammates after hitting a solo home run in the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

One of the challenging things that comes with having a loaded Major League roster like the Philadelphia Phillies is that it's hard for minor leaguers to break through and earn a role on the team.

It's one of the reasons why organizations in this championship window often trade away their surplus of prospects to get back pieces who can help the club win now.

While the Phillies haven't necessarily operated in that fashion yet, mainly because the majority of their top guys are all young and playing in Double-A or lower, those who normally would have gotten a chance to see what they can do on a consistent basis were largely relegated to playing Triple-A baseball.

That was the case with Darick Hall.

The formally unheralded 14th-round draft pick in 2016 immediately flashed prolific power in the minors with three straight years of 20-plus homers to begin his professional career after his first short Single-A season.

Hall continued to work his way up the ranks, and when he was promoted to The Show for the first time in his career during 2022, he became a bit of a folktale.

The slugger's first two Major League hits were home runs against the Atlanta Braves in the same game, and a couple days later, his third MLB hit was also blasted over the wall.

It looked like his prolific power would translate and that Philadelphia had another potential star slugger on their hands, but after he appeared in 41 games that year where he slashed .250/.282/.522 with an OPS+ of 122, nine homers and 16 RBI, Hall tore a ligament in this thumb that put him on the shelf for two months in 2023 and really ended his stint with the Phillies.

When Rhys Hoskins tore his ACL, Hall was supposed to take over that position before his own injury.
But Bryce Harper was moved to first base, something that seems like his spot for the rest of his career, and there was no longer a need for the slugger on the roster anymore.

Hall didn't appear in a single Major League game this year after getting into just 18 in 2023.

Now, he is looking for a new opportunity with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

According to Steve Potter of PhilliesBaseballFan.com, he signed a minor league deal that comes with an invite to their big league Spring Training camp.

From there, Hall is hoping he can showcase his power and get an opportunity to be a regular contributor going forward now that he's 29 years old.