Former Oakland Raiders quarterback Daryle Lamonica was “Mad Bomber,” but he had nothing on Darick Hall of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hall, 29, is in spring training with Pittsburgh, who signed him to a minor league deal last December. It wasn’t a sexy transaction that was deemed worthy of reporting here. After all, the left-handed-hitting first baseman spent seven full seasons and parts of two others in the minor leagues in the Philadelphia Phillies system. In the minors, he produced a stat line of .254/.340/.473, 160 HR, and 561 RBI across all levels.
The Phillies called Hall up to the big time in 2022 and he responded by posting a respectable .250/.282/.522, 9 HR, and 16 RBI in 41 games. A second big league trial the following year wasn’t as kind. Limited to 18 games by a wrist injury, he went just 9-for-54 with a homer. He spent 2024 with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. It was his fourth season there.
Darick Hall: The New Mad Bomber?
Darick Hall was thought to be a mere organizational depth acquisition for the Pirates. Now, ironically, after losing his Phillies career because of a wrist injury, this latest opportunity comes courtesy of a wrist injury. With Spencer Horwitz out for two months, give or take, Hall is suddenly thrown into the first base mix. Manager Derek Shelton said as much to an assembly of local beat reporters last week:
“He’s definitely going to be in the competition. Big-body guy [six-feet-four, 232 pounds] who has the ability to have good at-bats, has the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark and has played in the big leagues before. I think we knew when we acquired him on an NRI [non-roster invitation] that we like the bat. We have seen him hit. He drives the ball. He’s going to get a good look during spring training.”
Then, after our story about Horwitz’s injury was published and shared on Facebook, came this scouting report (lightly edited to keep our Grammarly software happy) from Lisa Nehila-Mondzak, who works for the IronPigs and knows her Pittsburgh geography:
“Fan favorite with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Nickname ‘Long Ball Hall.’ Witnessed him hit some of the longest home runs out of Coca-Cola Park [the IronPigs home ballpark]. Holds the franchise record for the most home runs. Athletic first baseman and all-around great guy. Definitely could put some in the Allegheny.”
Non-roster invite Darick Hall working on going the other way during BP pic.twitter.com/4NVI5FlZyD
— Andrew Destin (@AndrewDestin1) February 13, 2025
Tales of the Tape
Hyperbole? No, it’s all true. Last July, Hall became the IronPigs’ all-time leader in home runs when he connected off Jason Alexander (not the actor who played George Costanza on Seinfeld) of the Worcester Red Sox. It was his 70th homer as an IronPig. In August, the WooSox were the opponent again when Hall’s double gave him RBI No. 262 as an IronPig, That made him the career leader in that category as well. And about those tape measure shots?
June 14, 2023
With the Toledo Mud Hens as the opponent, Hall hit a two-run shot to right field out of Coca-Cola Park. It’s believed to have been the longest home run ever hit in that minor league park. How far the ball went is unknown. The system that measures home-run distance lost track of the ball. Maybe it’s still moving. Oh, and Lehigh Valley won, 8-0.
May 2, 2024
Against the WooSox once again, the IronPigs won, 7-1, roughing up rehabbing Worcester starter Nick Pivetta for four runs. In the fourth inning, Hall came up with two men on and left-handed reliever Jorge Benitez on the mound. Left-handers are supposed to be Hall’s weakness. He was only 3-for-23 against them as a Phillie. This time, however, he crushed a 454-foot home run off Benitez. Worcester right fielder Mark Contreras gave it just a courtesy look as it sailed over the scoreboard and into a right-field picnic area at Polar Park.
September 23, 2024
It was the final game of the season when the Iron Pigs once again hosted Worcester. Hall knew it was his last game at Coca-Cola Park, too. He had no future with the Phillies. Not with Bryce Harper at first base and Kyle Schwarber as the designated hitter. Hall knew he would declare free agency in November.
The WooSox took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth. The IronPigs scored two runs and had the bases loaded with “Long Ball Hall” due up. All he did was cap off his IronPigs career with a screaming walk-off grand slam, home run No. 76 as an IronPig. The ball traveled 418 feet at a speed of 114.5 mph. It’s an overused expression, but this was a fairy tale ending.
Hall and the Pirates
Or is it just the beginning of something else? It’s a story reminiscent of John Nogowski, a first baseman who spent nine years in the minors. The Pirates gave him a chance in 2021. “The Big Nogowski” was a fan favorite in Pittsburgh when he went 21-for-48 in his first 12 games. However, it wasn’t long before he demonstrated why he was a career minor leaguer. He was released in September, although his final batting line with the Pirates (.261/.325/.351) compares favorably with that of last year’s first baseman, Rowdy Tellez (.243/.299/.392).
It will be interesting to see whether Darick Hall succeeds where Nogowski failed with the Pirates. The fact that he spent so many years in the minors tends to suggest he won’t be a long-term solution to anything. For what it’s worth, Baseball Reference projects .233/.288/.402, 7 HR, and 22 RBI in 206 plate appearances. But if he can send a few of those bombs out of PNC Park’s inviting right field, he just might salvage what has been a disappointing offseason for Pirates fans hoping for major moves.
Photo Credit: © Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
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