One Red Sox Pitcher to Keep an Eye on: Matt Hall
The Red Sox are in a really unique position heading into the restart of the MLB. Keep in mind, the restart is supposed to officially start in about a week and a half. We know this Red Sox team can swing it. With Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, J.D. Martinez, Andrew Benintendi and others, the Red Sox offense will be fine. The huge question mark will be the Red Sox pitching staff as a whole. Right now your starters are Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez, maybe Brian Johnson…and that’s it. Manager Ron Roenicke is discussing the idea of openers. But one guy that can eat up a chunk of innings after the opener, to keep an eye on, is Matt Hall.
Matt Hall, who the Red Sox acquired from the Tigers in a minor trade in January, is making a case to make the Opening Day roster. Ron Roenicke was "really impressed" with Hall on Monday.https://t.co/FhqU6MguGY
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) July 13, 2020
Who is Matt Hall?
Matt Hall is a left handed pitcher from Independence, Missouri. He was taken in the sixth round of the 2015 MLB draft by the Detroit Tigers. He spent several seasons pitching in Class-A ball before eventually moving up the ladder and became a September call-up in 2018. During the 2019 season, Hall was splitting time between Toledo and Detroit, making 16 appearances. The Red Sox traded for Hall in January of 2020 in exchange for minor league catcher Jhon Nunez.
What Should We Look for with Hall?
Roenicke said Matt Hall in mix to be guy after Opener in fifth spot. Here is his showdown with Rafael Devers today (courtesy Red Sox FB page and my excellent editing abilities) … pic.twitter.com/q1kO0LMzqk
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) July 13, 2020
Ron Roenicke has been a fan of Hall as these inter squad scrimmages have taken place. The video above from Rob Bradford gives you a bit of an indication of what you can expect from Hall. Hall has some late velocity on his fastball as you see in the last pitch to Rafael Devers. The lefty also has some nice off-speed that Roenicke is a fan of and has made public. Hall can also pitch multiple innings and take over for an opener.
In Conclusion
Keep in mind, the Red Sox don’t have much right now. Matt Hall could be a pleasant surprise. Will he be a star? Probably not. But at this point, give me someone who can actually throw and keep the ball in the ballpark. The season’s a week and a half away, and Matt Hall is one name Red Sox fans should pay attention to as the season progresses.
-Al Nahigian (@BigAl2793)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Feat. Image courtesy of nesn.com/