Toolsy D-backs 2025 draftee enjoys spin through Fall League

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Shortly after the D-backs nabbed Nathan Hall with their fifth-round selection in the 2025 Draft out of South Carolina, he was ramping up for game action at the club’s complex when he cut loose a throw from the outfield and felt pain in his right elbow. 

He turned out to need Tommy John surgery, which when combined with a pair of hamstring injuries, knocked the toolsy right-handed hitter out for just over a calendar year before making his pro debut for Single-A Visalia on Aug. 18.

But 44 plate appearances across 11 games is hardly enough of a glimpse into a hitter who followed up posting a .333 average in the wood-bat Cape Cod League with a .322 mark in his junior year for South Carolina. Hall knew how the calendar was starting to shake out and he harbored hope the team would tab him for a stint in the Fall League – which they did almost immediately after his arrival in the California League.

“The main thing is: baseball is a fun game. But it's not fun in rehab,” Hall said. “I'm really grateful for the fact that it did help me find a routine that helps me physically get in a good position to play, and it honestly helped build a lot of confidence too.

“To be able to have an organization that wants me to come out and get more reps and get better is very encouraging, so I'm blessed with that.”

During 12 regular-season contests for Salt River, Hall hit just .176 but delivered a .429 on-base percentage on the back of 14 walks (and just nine strikeouts), adding seven stolen bases on eight attempts. That increased focus on plate discipline has been a point of emphasis in the desert, but so has been simply staying on the field, as he was precautionarily sidelined due to hamstring tightness.

"He's done a really good job of improving his contact quality since coming into pro ball, even though he's had limited reps,” Chris Slivka, the D-backs’ farm director, said of Hall. “I think it's a testament to the work that he did when he was coming back from those injuries, because the swing quality and contact quality are much better than they were in college."

College was quite the journey for Hall. He considered turning pro coming out of the South Carolina prep ranks in 2022, but instead opted to stay in-state and attend Clemson, where he was first recruited by former head coach Monte Lee. Hall spent two years playing for the Tigers, whose rivalry with the South Carolina Gamecocks -- the Palmetto Series -- is one of college baseball's preeminent showdowns.

But when Lee departed the program after 2022, and subsequently re-joined South Carolina as the associate head coach, Hall saw the writing on the wall after his playing time was limited in ‘24.

“Put the emotional aspect to the side, I’m gonna have to tune that out,” Hall said. “It’s not really about Clemson – ‘Those guys, I'm gonna show them’ – it just happened to be the best opportunity. But it also happened to be probably the biggest rivalry in the country.”

While unique to have played for both Clemson and South Carolina, it also meant that Hall got in ACC and SEC reps before getting his pro career underway.

“You have no choice but to find ways to make yourself confident before you face those guys to be successful,” Hall said. “I think it was more about me having faith in myself and knowing, ‘I've been successful against high-quality arms, I can do it [in pro ball].’ I know looking back, I've had success, I'm gonna be fine -- just continue to put my head down and work.”

It was nearly a year and a half between in-game reps for Hall, but early returns indicate that run through the SEC gave him a leg up as he slashed .357/.386/.643 with three homers during his time with Visalia. That, along with his above-average bat speed and confidence-building AFL stint, set him up well for 2027 and beyond.

“He has some real skills, some real carrying tools,” said Scott Nestor, Salt River’s hitting coach who serves in a similar capacity in the Yankees’ system. “I think he’s a good bat-to-ball guy, has really good plate discipline, shows some maturity at the plate, and then obviously has some wheels too.

“I'll definitely be excited to follow his career with the D-backs moving forward.”