Texas signed Hill, a former first-round pick of the Tigers, to a minor league deal over the winter. They gave him a pair of stints on the big league roster. He connected on three home runs in 16 games, though he also struck out 14 times while drawing only two walks. The 28-year-old has had an excellent season in Triple-A, hitting .350/.415/.631 with eight home runs through 176 plate appearances.

Hill can play all three outfield positions. He hasn’t hit much at the MLB level, running a .232/.280/.334 line over parts of five seasons. He’s a career .300/.360/.502 hitter over 224 Triple-A contests, making him an intriguing depth piece. Hill has exhausted his minor league options, so the Giants will need to keep him on the big league roster or designate him for assignment themselves moving forward.

Thanks to Robert Murray of FanSided, we’ve all been alerted to the San Francisco Giants claiming outfielder Derek Hill off waivers from the Texas Rangers. The 28-year old right-handed hitter could, theoretically, if you squint your eyes and spin around three times, become the 2019 version of Kevin Pillar. BUT, don’t count on it.

Hill has a career minor league K:BB of 3:1 (741 strikeouts to 245 walks) and it’s 5:1 (101:21) for his major league career (349 plate appearances in 124 games across 5 seasons). Despite that rancid ratio, he has a Austin Slateresque proclivity for handling left-handed pitching, with a career triple slash of .312/.339/.484 in 127 plate appearances against lefties. Hmm, wouldn’t you know it? The Giants are slated to face Clayton Kershaw this week and probably Kyle Freeland this weekend.

That career line isn’t divorced from his tumultuous season, as he’s posted .316/.381/.790 in 21 plate appearances with all 3 of his home runs on the season coming against left-handed pitching. As Brady notes,