Ok, why don’t I like Darick Hall?

Philadelphia, the recent past.The team needs some help with the offense. An injury had just happened and a team that was on the periphery of the playoff chase brings up a young left-handed hitting first baseman to give them a boost, a jolt, something to get them kickstarted towards the playoffs. He becomes someone the fanbase trusts almost without thinking due to his prodigious power, something he provides in spades.Remember when Ryan Howard did that?When Howard debuted in 2004, there was a lot of hype surrounding him once he hit 48 home runs in the minors. Called up in the waning days of September to give him a cup of major league coffee, he impressed most who watched him. The team knew he was blocked, but wouldn't trade him for "a bag of garbanzo beans" as one writer put it, though he was involved in "fruitless, unimpressive trade talks" that year. 1 In 2005, with Jim Thome ailing with a bad back, Howard was called up and the rest is history. The team moved Thome for his sake and to give Howard a chance to make his name with the team, something he did with aplomb. But when Howard did debut in 2004, the team picked their spots to play him. He only faced a left handed pitcher that year nine times and only one of his five starts came against a southpaw. They knew he'd struggle, so they worked him in gently https://www.shopthephillies.com/John_Kruk_Jersey-19. When pressed into starting duty the next year thanks to the injury to Thome, he still wasn't very good against them, but they really had no other choice.So, you may ask, what is it about young left handed hitting first basemen that has people like me skittish about how often they play in the major leagues?I've been pretty steadfast in my belief Hall shouldn't be handed a bench position right out of the gate in spring training. As a left handed hitter who is pretty much limited to two positions - first base and designated hitter - having him occupy that roster spot limits the team with their ability to make changes. The adoption of the DH in the National League meant things like double switches have been relegated to the dustbin of time, but having a player with versatility to move around the field is still preferred to lumbering sluggers who need to drop anchor at first base. You can't have a player come in for Alec Bohm in the middle of a game, for example, unless he can play at least a passable third base. With Hall, that means the only real chance he has at coming in during a game is for Rhys Hoskins or whoever the DH is that day.So, I guess my first reason is the limitations having someone like Hall places on the manager when it comes to manipulating the roster on any given day. When he is handcuffed already by certain relievers being unavailable, why would we want to further hinder the decision making for that day?The other reason is fairly obvious, the one that really shouldn't need explaining. We know that for the most part, left handed hitters do worse against left handed pitchers overall. If that weren't the case, the term LOOGY would have never been created. Howard was an example of this later on in his career, Hall is an example of this now. Some hitters, the ones like Juan Soto who are preternatural at using the lumber anyway, can avoid platoon disadvantages, but even he does worse against lefties in his career than righties. Hall, in his brief time, showed that he is susceptible to the southpaws at the major league level. He was allowed only twelve plate appearances against them, so the team knew that already about him. Yet as with the fact he can only play first base, why handcuff yourself with a player who can only play first base and only face right handed pitching?Now, I would be wrong if I didn't point out the good things that Hall does. It would be disingenuous if I didn't recount the fact that he did hit nine home runs in 142 plate appearances in Philadelphia, providing the team with solid power off of the bench at a time when they needed all the power they could get https://www.shopthephillies.com/Matt_Vierling_Jersey-154. This was a team that signed an outfielder to a $100 million contract with the expectation he'd be a power source in the middle of the lineup only to see his slugging percentage begin with a 3. When Bryce Harper went down and J.T. Realmuto not hitting like he was supposed to until mid-July, it was fair to wonder where the team was going to get power outside of the thunderstick Kyle Schwarber was swinging during the season. Hall came up and gave them that power. That isn't something that should be ignored.Nor should his slugging numbers against right handed pitching. When you slug .565 against the righties, that is something to take notice of. They're going to be without Harper for a while, which means there is a spot open against right handed pitching on days when the DH spot is open. Even with Schwarber, Hoskins, Realmuto and Castellanos, there still needs to be a player capable of hitting a home run at any time in the lineup, something that Hall can threaten when put in the right situation.The best thing about Hall's situation is that my opinion doesn't really matter. Maybe the team is fine with his only being able to be used against right handed pitching. Maybe they have shown him a steady diet of left handed pitching this offseason in preparation for the coming season. Maybe their platoon plans and rotation plans are so exact and laid out so well, they have figured out when to pick their spots with Hall's bat. Good! That's what the coaching staff is paid to do. I'm just of the belief that if they are able to acquire someone between now and Opening Day that can do, maybe, 60-70% of what Hall can do against right handers, show the ability to hit left handers much more capably and be able to be used around the field https://www.shopthephillies.com/Alec_Bohm_Jersey-145, that is the player the team should be looking to give the roster spot to. Does that exist, even as one who would understand his role once Harper does return? We'll just have to wait and see.1 Hayes, Marcus,. Howard Won't Buy Into the Hype.