On same night as Bratt's MLB debut, another piece of Kelly deal dominates
This browser does not support the video element.
Time will tell how long the tentacles fan out from last July’s trade that saw the D-backs send veteran right-hander Merrill Kelly to the Rangers in exchange for three promising pitching prospects -- David Hagaman, Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake. But Wednesday night was a crystal clear snapshot of the short-term windfall.
On the same night that Bratt, the D-backs’ No. 14 prospect, made his big league debut in a 9-4 win over the Cardinals, Hagaman turned in his best effort of 2026 for High-A Hillsboro, tossing six scoreless frames en route to tying his career high with eight punchouts in a 4-2 victory over Vancouver at Hillsboro Ballpark.
Hagaman had his entire arsenal working cohesively, logging at least one punchout in each frame. After getting behind leadoff batter Sam Shaw (Blue Jays) and eventually losing him to a free pass, the 23-year-old locked in and fired first-pitch strikes to 13 of the next 15 hitters. He enjoyed a stretch of eight batters retired in a row and his two hits were limited to singles.
The last time out for the D-backs’ No. 8 prospect was a rough go of things, having yielded eight hits and three runs across four frames. But it also marked his first time working with catcher Carlos Virahonda (AZ No. 17), one of the organization’s fastest-rising backstops. Round 2 was a much improved process with the fifth inning marking the only occasion that a runner reached scoring position.
While Bratt and Drake (who is still awaiting his MLB debut) were first to reach the big leagues from the Kelly trade, there are those who believe Hagaman to be the crown jewel in the long run. He gets a ton of run on his 93-95 mph fastball, consistently posting induced vertical break marks that rival those in the upper echelon at the big leagues. In addition to his 6-foot-4 frame, he can get over seven feet of extension (MLB average fluctuates between 6.3-to-6.4 feet) coming down the hill.
Combine all of that with a smooth and repeatable delivery and an arsenal that features a pair of plus pitches and it’s easy to see how Hagaman can rack up outs in bunches. Four of his punchouts Wednesday came via the heater, while his breaking ball got some funky swings from a Vancouver club that ranks second in the High-A Northwest League in OPS (.776).
On the surface, the Canadians’ starting lineup with five hitters batting left-handed vs. Hagaman looked like it might present an issue. But the 2024 fourth-rounder has run staggering reverse splits this year, holding lefties batters to a .193 average, while righties have hit .306 against him.
All told, the outing marked Hagaman’s fourth scoreless appearance of the season. But maybe most encouragingly when it comes to an arm coming back from internal brace surgery, the righty has now thrown at least 80 pitches in four consecutive starts for the first time as a pro. A former reliever during his days at West Virginia, 2026 is Hagaman's first foray into starting on a full-time basis.
“If I'm coming in in the ninth inning or if I'm starting the game, I'm still playing baseball,” Hagaman told MLB.com during last year’s Arizona Fall League. “I'm still attacking hitters, simple as that.”
As Northwest League hitters have found out over the past few months, and particularly so Wednesday, an attacking Hagaman is a tough one to square up.