Episode 28: Derrick Hall - Arizona Diamondbacks/MLB

On this episode, Host Krish Kumar sits down with Derrick Hall. Considered by many to be among the leaders of the game, D-backs President, CEO & General Partner Derrick Hall has turned the organization into a model franchise within the sports industry and throughout the business world during his 18 years at the helm of the club. Hall is the fourth-longest tenured CEO in Major League Baseball behind Atlanta’s Terry McGuirk, St. Louis’s Bill DeWitt Jr. and Cincinnati’s Bob Castellini, each of whom have a controlling ownership interest in their respective franchises.
Hall, a 2019 inductee into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, focuses the organization’s efforts in five areas he has called the “Circle of Success” - fan experience, performance, community, people & culture and financial efficiency - each of which has seen tremendous growth during his tenure. He has also developed the team’s B-U-I-L-D Values, which stand for belonging, unified, integrity, longevity and development, a series of beliefs to drive and motivate behavior and a framework for effective decision-making.
The success of the franchise during Hall’s tenure has led to numerous honors, while Hall’s leadership has helped guide the D-backs to three postseason appearances - two National League West Division Championships (2007, ‘11), one NLCS (2007) and the Wild Card (2017).
Hall and Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick hired Executive Vice President & General Manager Mike Hazen in October 2016 to oversee the franchise’s baseball operations and tasked him with remaining competitive at the Major League level, developing an analytics department and rebuilding the farm system to build a sustainable model. Entering the 2023 season, the D-backs’ farm system was ranked second by ESPN and fourth by MLB Pipeline and The Athletic, boasted at least four Top 100 prospects for the fourth straight preseason and were one of two teams, along with the Orioles, with three prospects in the Top15 of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospect rankings.
With a focus on creating the best fan experience in all of sports, Hall has succeeded in accomplishing that goal at both Chase Field and at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the D-backs’ Spring Training home near Scottsdale. Stadium enhancements at Chase Field that have taken place under Hall’s guidance include the APS Solar Pavilion, Guy Fieri’s Downtown Phoenix Kitchen + Bar, Caesar’s Sportsbook, Cold Beers and Cheeseburgers, HD scoreboard in center field, the Sandlot, the Coors Light Strike Zone, All-You-Can-Eat Seats, Casamigos Bar and DJ Booth, Commonwealth Infield Terrace, The Draft Room and value-item pricing at concession stands and Team Shop locations throughout the ballpark.
He and Amy reside in Arcadia and have three children, Logan (a Spectrum News reporter in Los Angeles), Hayden (leading a startup business in Salt Lake City that he created with friends, and a graduate of Duke University) and Kylie (a soccer player at Emory University), and two dogs, Ivy and Mayzie.
Recorded and Edited by Shiv Govil.