After finishing 2018 with a base knock in 21 of his final 24 games -- including a 19-game hit streak in August -- with the Class A Short-Season Aberdeen IronBirds, Adam Hall took his game up a notch in ¡¯19.

In his first full season last year, Baltimore¡¯s No. 13 prospect slashed .298/.385/.395 with five homers, four triples, 22 doubles and 33 stolen bases in 122 games for the Class A Delmarva Shorebirds. The middle infielder was named a midseason, postseason and organizational All-Star, and he was looking forward to seeing what he could do on the field in 2020.

¡°Hopefully I can continue the season I had last year,¡± Hall said ahead of baseball¡¯s hiatus to battle the coronavirus pandemic this year. ¡°And improve on a couple things, looking at the power numbers, and hopefully I can steal some more bases.¡±

In the current climate, that would seem difficult to fathom, and the Bermuda-born Canadian shortstop has had to adjust his mindset in order to be ready for whatever lay ahead.

¡°It¡¯s pretty difficult [to stay competitive] when there are no dates laid out for anything, and they obviously can¡¯t do that,¡± Hall said. ¡°That makes it tough to have a preparation goal, because you don¡¯t know when or what you¡¯re preparing for. But you know eventually it¡¯s going to come to an end, so you try and keep that in mind for whatever that happens to be.

¡°At this point, I¡¯m just looking forward to being able to play, and being able to get back out there.¡±

Evaluating himself using a Major League Scouting Bureau report and the 20-to-80 scouting scale, basing his grades on the standards set by the Bureau, Hall offered insight into what his future might hold.

Top tools
The 6-foot, 170-pound Canuck gave himself a well-above-average future grade in his run speed, keeping it consistent with the current evaluation.

¡°I¡¯ve always had a track background since I was younger,¡± Hall said. ¡°And speed¡¯s kind of a natural thing, but I¡¯ve obviously worked on it. I¡¯ve always made sure it¡¯s a big part of my game, focusing on maintaining it and trying to get faster with whatever I can. ¡­ It gives that advantage of being able to take an extra base, steal some bases, helps with fielding and range so I can use it to contribute in a number of ways.¡±

Room for improvement
Jumping his hit and power tools each a grade-and-a-half from present to future, Hall offered a below-average evaluation of his current ability to hit and a well-below-average grade on his current power, with potential to become an above-average hitter with fringy-average power as he works his way to the highest level.

¡°Hitting ability -- it¡¯s mainly exposure to high-level pitching and learning how to adjust to that,¡± he said. ¡°With power, obviously that comes as well once you¡¯re able to handle pitching better, you can have more power in your game. But I¡¯m also working on building up strength in the weight room all the time and that will help on that side of things as well.¡±

Scouting the scout
Offering insight into his own game, the middle infielder had some experience in the realms of scouting and grading when he filled out the evaluation.

¡°I had a decent amount of background,¡± Hall said. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m going and looking at everybody¡¯s grades, but I have a pretty good awareness of where guys might be.¡±

What the scouts say
¡°He¡¯s an aggressive, high-energy, high-intensity player who comes to play and plays hard,¡± one scout said. ¡°He¡¯s athletic but he has presently below-average hand and feet. He¡¯s overly aggressive at the plate, but when he makes contact, he hits the ball like a rocket. He¡¯s only 20 years old, plenty of upside. He hustles on every ball hit, he can steal a base, has bat speed and doesn¡¯t get cheated. He seems determined to be a good player.¡±

What¡¯s missing
¡°Work ethic, the work being put in in the offseason, off the field,¡± Hall said of what the report doesn¡¯t include about him as a player. ¡°That¡¯s helped me quite a bit. Making time for that side of things, even from a young age, has been a big part of it.¡±