Keegan Akin and Grayson Rodriguez thought DL Hall was lying.
“He texted us, me and Grayson, that day,” Akin recalled. “We thought he was messing with us.”
Hall, formerly one of Baltimore’s prized pitching prospects, texted his close friends, also Orioles pitchers, that he had been traded to the Milwaukee Brewers.
“Then we obviously called him to talk,” Akin said. “It was definitely a bittersweet moment.”
The sweet was Baltimore getting ace Corbin Burnes. The bitter was saying goodbye to Hall and infielder Joey Ortiz, the other top prospect sent to Milwaukee in the deal.
Hall and Ortiz, who made their MLB debuts in 2022 and 2023, respectively, are back at Camden Yards this weekend as the Orioles host the Brewers. Ortiz didn’t waste any time to make his presence felt, recording his first career three-hit game in Milwaukee’s 11-1 win Friday. Hall gets his chance Saturday when he toes the rubber against his old teammates.
“Definitely a little weird for sure,” Hall said about being back at Oriole Park. “I was walking in today, didn’t even know where to go. I was like, ‘I’ve been here, but I don’t know how to get to the visiting side.’ Definitely a weird feeling, but awesome.”
Hall, 25, couldn’t choose which Orioles hitter he’s most excited to face Saturday among Baltimore’s homegrown lineup. The left-hander has played with virtually all of them, either in the majors last season or in the minors.
“It’s all going to be exciting,” he said. “Obviously, a really good lineup over there. We want to face the best, and I think that’s what we’re going to get.”
But if Rodriguez could have his way, he would be making his first major league start at designated hitter. Rodriguez and Hall spent their time in the minors as the organization’s top two pitching prospects, and the former wants a crack at the latter.
“He’s already letting me know he’s trying to get in the lineup,” Hall said with a smile. “I don’t think it’s going to work out, but I don’t think it would work out for him, either.”
Akin confirmed the “smack talk” is already underway about Hall’s start Saturday — all friendly banter from a friend trio that still remains in daily conversation. Akin, a reliever, is taking Hall’s side if Rodriguez stepped to the plate off the southpaw.
“I think Grayson hits lefty, so I don’t think Grayson has a chance,” Akin said. “He could call his pitches, and I don’t think he could touch it.”
Hall, the Orioles’ first-round pick in 2017, was undoubtedly part of Baltimore’s pitching future before the Feb. 1 trade that brought Burnes, perhaps the club’s best starting pitcher since Mike Mussina, to Charm City. Hall said it was a “pretty big shock” that he was no longer a part of the organization he spent the first seven years of his career with.
“For the first probably 24 hours, tough thinking about leaving the guys that you came up with and all that,” he said. “But once I got here, it’s an unbelievable group, unbelievable clubhouse here. It’s awesome. It definitely made it a little bit easier.
“I’m just happy to play ball anywhere. We get to play a kid’s game for a job, I’m happy no matter where it’s at.”
Ortiz said changing organizations two weeks before spring training was “easier” because he had a friend in Hall to do it with. He said he’s “not as anxious, not as nervous” now as he was when he was with the Orioles for parts of 2023. The 25-year-old is hitting .360 with a .928 OPS in 29 plate appearances.
“Any big league team that wants you is a good thing, and coming over to a winning organization is even better,” said Ortiz, whom the Orioles drafted in 2019’s fourth round.
Hall’s start Saturday will be his first at Camden Yards. Over the past few years, it was unclear whether his future as an Oriole was in the bullpen or rotation. It’s less so with the Brewers, who had him start the second game of their season and appear committed to making him a starting pitcher. The left-hander has the stuff to be a starter, but his plus fastball and slider make him a prime candidate as a back-end bullpen arm.
Hall said the Brewers’ belief in him — committing to him during spring training that he’d be a major league starter — was “super” reassuring. Hall’s MLB debut came as a starter in August 2022, but his next 29 big league appearances came out of the bullpen.
The opportunity to start in the major leagues every five days is a dream come true that at times seemed distant. As he struck out an impressive percentage of batters in the minors, he battled through injuries, including a strange three-month period in 2023 when he elected to stop pitching and weight train at the Orioles’ facility in Sarasota, Florida, to get his velocity back. He returned to the mound later in the season, joining Baltimore as a key bullpen arm for the club’s stretch run. Hall was the winning pitcher of Baltimore’s playoff berth-clinching win over the Tampa Bay Rays in September, pitching a scoreless 11th to bring his odyssey full circle.
“It’s not just the fact of being a starter, but it’s been a long road for me with injury and jumping back and forth in the bullpen,” he said. “Just to kind of see that come to fruition and get back to starting is awesome. It’s a great feeling.”
Akin knows Hall starting major league games “has always been his dream,” and the Orioles reliever believes in his former teammate’s ability to achieve it.
“He has the stuff to do it,” Akin said. “He’s just been dealt with some injuries the last couple years. I think it’s pretty obvious the back-end role of the bullpen is always going to be there, a backup plan if this doesn’t work out. But I think he’s determined enough that he’s going to figure it out as a starter. I really do.”
Hall’s former teammates might want nothing but the best for his career, but they hope Saturday provides a minor hiccup. For Akin and Rodriguez, they’ll be there for him Sunday as a friend and tracking his next start like normal.
“For once in my life,” Akin said, “I’ll be rooting against him.”
