Robert Hassell

Robert Harris Hassell III

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 2", Weight 190 lb.
• High School Independence High School (Thompson's Station)

• Born August 15, 2001 in Franklin, TN USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Robert Hassell, also known as Robert Hassell III, was the 8th player selected in the 2020 amateur draft - and the first high school player. Due to the coronavirus pandemic that stopped all amateur baseball being played in March, that draft was dominated by college players who had already managed to establish a profile before the stoppage, and putting high school players and those from smaller college programs at a distinct disadvantage. In fact, that was the lowest rank ever for the top high school pick in an amateur draft. However, Hassell had been on the radar screen for a while, as one of the top high school players in the nation even as a high school junior. He played for the United States in the 2019 U-18 Baseball World Cup, where he hit .514/.548/.886 with 14 runs and 14 RBI in 9 games (also pitching 1 2/3 shutout innings, fanning four) and was named International Player of the Year for his performance in the tournament. He joined Darryl Collins and Pete Crow-Armstrong as the tourney All-Star outfielders, but lost MVP to Chien Yu. He scored the only US run in the 2-1 loss to Taiwan in the finale. He led the event in runs (3 ahead of Ji-chan Kim), was second in hits (18, one behind Kim), tied Ruendrick Piternella for 2nd in doubles (5), tied for 1st in homers (2, even with Collins, Ju-hong Park, Junya Nishi and Owen Diodati), led in RBI (two ahead of Collins), led in total bases (31, 9 ahead of Collins), was second in average (.014 behind Kim), was 3rd in OBP (after Ryson Polonius and Ji-chan Kim) and led in slugging (.127 ahead of Collins). He batted .423 with 14 home runs as a junior and was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year Award winner for Tennessee. He had a commitment to attend Vanderbilt University prior to the draft.

A resident of Franklin, TN, he was noticed for his sweet left-handed swing that projected him as a high-average hitter with a possibility of hitting around 20 homers per season as a major leaguer. He was a centerfielder in high school, although it was not clear if he could play the position as a pro. A well-rounded athlete, he was also a successful pitcher in high school, hitting 93 mph on the radar gun, although pitching was not considered to be part of his future as a pro. He played in the 2014 Little League World Series with the Nashville, TN team and faced the legendary Mo'ne Davis in the tournament (she pitched a shutout against his team in the preliminary round); he had also participated in the 2013 Little League World Series.

In 2021, his first season as a professional, he hit .303/.393/.470 in 110 games between the Lake Elsinore Storm and Fort Wayne Wizards, confirming his status as a top prospect. He was named to the National League team for the 2022 Futures Game while playing in Fort Wayne, in the Midwest League. In 75 games, he hit .299 with 10 homers and 55 RBIs. He was the highest-rated prospect included by the Padres in the blockbuster deal to acquire superstar OF Juan Soto and 1B Josh Bell from the Washington Nationals at the trading deadline on August 2nd. Joining him were SS C.J. Abrams, P Mackenzie Gore, P Jarlin Susana, OF James Wood and 1B Luke Voit, the latter the only established player in the bunch.

Further Reading

• AJ Cassavell: "Padres draft high school OF Hassell at No. 8", mlb.com, June 11, 2020. [1]
• Manny Randhawa: "Padres' 1st pick faced Mo'ne Davis, can dunk: 10 things to know about prep outfielder Robert Hassell", mlb.com, May 31, 2020. [2]