The Rangers have re-signed outfielder Derek Hill to a minor league contract, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (X link). He’ll head back to Triple-A Round Rock after electing free agency earlier in the week.
Hill first signed a minor league contract over the offseason and was selected onto the MLB roster at the end of May. He appeared in five games, including a pair of starts in right field. He went 2-9 with a walk and a stolen base in what marked his fifth year logging MLB time. Texas designated Hill for assignment a week ago; he cleared outright waivers on Tuesday.
A first-round pick of the Tigers in 2014, Hill played sporadically with Detroit. He combined for a .240/.291/.339 line in 95 games over parts of three seasons. Hill made a brief appearance with the Nationals a year ago, appearing in 13 games between late June and the early part of July. He’s a plus runner who can play all three outfield positions. He has never provided much in the batter’s box against MLB pitching though.
To his credit, the 28-year-old has been a productive Triple-A hitter. Hill owns a .295/.354/.502 slash in nearly 900 trips at the top minor league level. That includes a robust .333/.387/.659 showing over 142 plate appearances with Round Rock this season. Hill’s 6.3% walk percentage and near-25% strikeout rate were pedestrian, but he connected on eight homers, four triples and 10 doubles (albeit in a hitter-friendly setting).
He’s a guy you want to believe in. He can play any centerfield in MLB. If he got his bat figured out, he’d be a force.
Agreed. Love his glove and speed..
I guess he’s better than Jose Abreu and cheaper which seems to be a thing.
California Angels had/still have interest in Derek.
The idea is to reintroduce/recreate…………………………..
HILL’S ANGELS !!
Poor guy keeps trying. Once you hit 28 it’s time to get a job. He just can’t hit
Always was rooting for him to get the bat together. With his speed and potential defensive abilities in the outfield, I thought he might make a nice 4th outfielder for Detroit if he could’ve been even league average on offense.