The 2019 Yankees are my second favorite squad in recent-ish memory (after 2017), in large part because of the sheer number of surprise performances from unlikely players – Gio Urshela! Mike Tauchman! Cameron Maybin! – that buoyed the team. David Hale isn’t the first name that comes to mind when you think about that year, but it’s worth remembering his contributions to that 103-win team, and noting the circuitous path he took to arrive there.
David Edward Hale
Born: September 27, 1987 (Atlanta, GA)
Yankees Tenure: 2018, 2019-20
As a high schooler, Hale was originally an infielder before turning to pitching in his senior year. His performance on the mound attracted MLB scouts, but the right-hander chose to play at Princeton University following graduation, having committed to the college before his senior year. Over three seasons in collegiate baseball, Hale went 7-9 with a 4.74 ERA across 127.1 innings. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, but apparently scouts saw enough in him to rank him as the Ivy League’s top pitching prospect prior to his junior year. The Atlanta Braves concurred, and selected Hale 87th overall in the third round of the 2009 draft.
After bouncing between starting and bullpen roles in the Braves’ system, Hale made it to the majors in September 2013. His first start was one to remember. Against an admittedly pitiful Padres lineup, Hale punched out nine batters in five innings, setting a franchise record for most strikeouts in a debut. His second start was successful too, with just one run allowed over six innings of work against the Phillies. That was enough for the Braves to place him on the playoff roster. Unfortunately, Atlanta’s postseason run was short-lived, as they fell to the Dodgers in the NLDS, three games to one. Hale’s sole appearance came in Game 3, facing just one batter to close out a 13-6 loss. Nonetheless, it was quite the successful year for Hale.
However, Hale did not enjoy the same level of success in the following years. In 2014, he posted a 4.31 FIP and nearly as many walks as strikeouts across 87.1 innings, most of them as a reliever. That prompted the Braves to ship him to Colorado in the offseason, where he went 5-5 with a 6.09 ERA in 17 appearances (of which 12 were starts). After giving up three runs in two innings to open the 2016 season, Hale was designated for assignment.
Hale spent the next couple of years as a journeyman, toiling mostly in the minor leagues, going from the Orioles’ system to the Braves’, then the Dodgers’, then the Yankees’, then the Twins’, and then the Yankees’ yet again. After he was DFA’ed by the Yankees in July 2018, Hale decided to try and revive his career on foreign shores, signing a $500,000 deal with the Hanwha Eagles in South Korea for the remainder of the year.
It was a bold move, and it paid off. Hale posted a 4.34 ERA over 12 starts and 66.1 innings for the Eagles. That may not sound impressive, but when accounting for the extremely hitting-friendly environment of the KBO, it actually was. To wit: that year, KBO hitters hit .286/.353/.450 as a league, with pitchers recording a collective 5.17 ERA. In that context, a 4.34 ERA sounds pretty darn good. The Yankees evidently thought so too, as they offered Hale a minor league deal just before spring training in 2019.
Hale’s chance came in late May, when he was called up to the majors following an injury to Nestor Cortes Jr, and I think it’s fair to say he made the most of it. He emerged as one of the Yankees’ most reliable middle relief options, working multiple innings on many occasions. I consider his finest moment to be his July 5 appearance against the Rays at the Trop, where he took the mound in the ninth inning of a 4-4 tie and pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in relief, holding the fort down while the Yankees pushed across four runs in the top of the 11th to ultimately win the game. Enjoy this glorious footage from that game of him striking out Willy Adames in the bottom of the 11th:
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However, Hale’s season was interrupted by injuries, first by a lumbar spine strain, then a knee injury sustained during his rehab assignment. He returned just before the end of the season, allowing two hits and one earned run in a third of an inning against the Rangers, but was designated for assignment following the Yankees ALDS win against the Twins when Aaron Hicks and CC Sabathia were added to the postseason roster. He finished 2019 with a 3.11 ERA (3.32 FIP) over 20 appearances and 37.2 innings. Not bad for a journeyman reliever with no expectations.
2019 would be the high-water mark for Hale’s career. He returned to the Yankees to start the 2020 season, but was traded to the Phillies in August. After posting a 6.41 ERA over 17 appearances in 2021, he was DFA’ed on June 25th, marking the end of his career. His total stat line reads: 13 wins, 12 losses, 3 saves, and a 4.44 ERA and 1.4 fWAR over 273.2 innings.
David Hale wasn’t a star by any stretch of the imagination, but his career is worth celebrating all the same. He could have easily chosen to hang up his cleats during his 2016-18 journey across various minor league systems. However, with perseverance and a willingness to think outside the box, he resurrected his career in the KBO, then joined the Yankees and contributed to their crazy 2019 run. I can only hope to emulate his tenacity and flexibility in trying to navigate my own life.
Happy Birthday, David. I hope retirement’s treating you well.
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