Pirates sign former Phillies slugger to minor-league deal as left-handed option

First base was one of the positions that the Pirates knew that they needed to upgrade entering the offseason. They indeed improved the position at the major league level with the acquisition of Spencer Horwitz, but that is not all they have done to strengthen that group.

According to reports on X, the Pirates have signed former Phillies prospect Darick Hall to a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training. This pickup was very necessary for the organization, as the Pirates did not previously have a first baseman for the Triple-A roster. Malcom Nunez is an option (who could have debuted in 2024), but he will likely play third base instead.

Pirates reportedly sign former Phillies first base prospect Darick Hall to minor-league deal.

Hall has had a short major league career thus far, only appearing in 2022 and 2023. He was actually productive during his stint in 2022, but was unserviceable in 2023. He struggled in Triple-A in 2024, which prevented him from making the big leagues last season.

Last season in Triple-A, Hall batted .236, belted 16 home runs, and drove in 72 runs. His OPS reached .706, which came from an on-base percentage of .320 and a slugging percentage of .386. Additionally, his wRC+ sat at 84 and he struck out 22.7% of the time.

Now, that was certainly not great, but the Pirates are trying to unlock what he delivered at the big league level in 2022. In that season, he played in just 42 games with the Phillies and produced an OPS of .804 with nine home runs and a wRC+ of 121. His issue that season was striking out at 31% rate, but his .522 slugging was very significant.

Horwitz is pretty locked in as the Pirates starting first baseman and he will primarily play against right-handed pitching. This move was just to add another bat in the minor leagues in the event of injuries.

Hall provides much needed depth in the organization at first base, and has a history of having power at the big league level. It will be interesting to see if Eric Munson (Indianapolis's hitting coach) can revive Hall's bat, similar to what he has done with guys like Miguel Andújar.