Detroit Tigers: Derek Hill makes spectacular catch; if only he could hit
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Tigers witnessed one spectacular catch by Derek Hill; if only he could hit, the former first-rounder would be incredible.
The Detroit Tigers are in the middle of their summer camp as they prep for the shortened sprint season that will be 2020. One of their prospects in the 60-man player pool, Derek Hill, is trying to show that he belongs in the big league outfield.
During one of the recent intrasquad games, Hill made a spectacular catch that looked straight out of an ESPN Sportscenter Top 10 plays edition. Hill showed impeccable fielding out there in centerfield, which is one of the big things that makes Hill incredible.
The Tigers have shared better footage -- complete with a musical score -- of Derek Hill's insane catch today. One of the best plays I've ever seen. pic.twitter.com/FXRlEWdSMq
— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) July 8, 2020
Hill was a former first-round selection of the Tigers from the 2014 MLB First-Year Amateur Player Draft. In six years, he has struggled to get the bat going, and in 2019, Hill was only able to work his way into Double-A with the Erie Seawolves.
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While the Tigers have selected Spencer Torkelson with the first overall selection in the 2020 MLB Draft, Hill’s expectations at twenty-third overall were not quite the same. However, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound outfielder has not been the player the Tigers have hoped for.
Now, in 2020, the opportunity may present itself for Hill to make some strides in his development and become a serviceable player in the box.
Being optimistic, Hill has the chance to work his way into an everyday role, but he sure seems to be ready for the big leagues on the defensive end. Similar to Jake Rogers and the catching battle, Hill’s defense is big-league ready but his hitting is not there yet.
This year may be Hill’s opportunity to learn alongside the organization’s best and brightest prospects, hopefully, to figure things out and get himself into a better position for the future. In all honesty, Hill is going to start running out of time to get things on track.
If Hill cannot get his hitting started, things could turn south, with fielding that looks to be incredible, it would suck to see Hill fall off the map. So staying optimistic; hopefully, 2020 is Hill’s chance to break out and prove his worth in the batters’ box.
The Tigers may have moved on from Hill as one of the top outfield prospects with players like Daz Cameron working towards the big leagues, but Hill should use this little bit of momentum and opportunity in 2020 to get things going positively.
Trending. Detroit Tigers: Top 20 prospects going into the 2020 season. light
As the Detroit Tigers continue summer camp, Derek Hill can try to figure things out in the batters’ box to make him a better player for his future.