Follow the Prospects: Robert Hassell III, OF

[imref]

final AFL stat line: .290 / .366 / .348, 1HR, 6SBs, 69ABs. His .714 OPS was 5th highest on the team.

I still think he's Adam Eaton 2.0, and that's not a bad thing.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

final AFL stat line: .290 / .366 / .348, 1HR, 6SBs, 69ABs. His .714 OPS was 5th highest on the team.

I still think he's Adam Eaton 2.0, and that's not a bad thing.

he's looking like a better stolen base guy than Eaton. Eaton was 15-18 SBs in his prime. Still would like a bit more power or maybe just more hard hits.

Eaton's career line was .276 /. 354 / .409, with about 1 HR every 60 PAs. ISO of .133.

[Natsinpwc]

With the numbers he is posting seems more like Andrew Stevenson.

Edit. Actually Andrew had a .934 OPS is fhe AFL in 2016.  So Robert has some work to do.

[Lintyfresh85]

FWIW Zips already thinks his career is over before it started. Hope he can outplay the projection.

[Smithian]

final AFL stat line: .290 / .366 / .348, 1HR, 6SBs, 69ABs. His .714 OPS was 5th highest on the team.

I still think he's Adam Eaton 2.0, and that's not a bad thing.

I just can't convince myself to give up on him quite yet, though it is clear the professionals who watch this stuff have written him off as AA roadkill.

If he is a dud this year, I'll come around to it just not happening. But I think a year further off his injury with a normal offseason, he could again establish himself as a solid prospect.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

final AFL stat line: .290 / .366 / .348, 1HR, 6SBs, 69ABs. His .714 OPS was 5th highest on the team.

I still think he's Adam Eaton 2.0, and that's not a bad thing.

looking at his Ks and walks in the AFL, he got his Ks back down to 25% range from the 32% in Harrisburg, and he maintained about a 12-13% walk rate. On the 49 PAs that didn't end in a K or a BB, he had 20 hits. the Ks have to come down a little further, and he's not showing the power he showed in A+ for SD, but he could still be a CF or 4th OF just by getting the Ks down. Drop that BABIP down to .320 or so, that AFL line is still a .320 OBP and ok for bottom of the order guy.

[Slateman]

If he is a dud this year, I'll come around to it just not happening. But I think a year further off his injury with a normal offseason, he could again establish himself as a solid prospect.

I feel like the entire org's philosophy this season is simply the baseball version of the Old Chinese Proverb, "We'll See"

[Senatorswin]

I feel like the entire org's philosophy this season is simply the baseball version of the Old Chinese Proverb, "We'll See"

That's what I think how they'll looking at this season. Pivotal season for a lot of guys. See who performs and go from there.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

The player with the greatest decline in ZiPS projected 2024-27 WAR from last year to this year is . . . Robert Hassell III. 8.8 drop to -1.7.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/zips-2024-2027-movers-and-shakers/

Robert Hassell III missed most of the Arizona Fall League in 2022 with a broken hamate bone, and things got even worse when the calendar flipped; he hit .221/.324/.321 across two levels in 2023. Just to contextualize how troubling a line that is, ZiPS gets a translation of .201/.275/.274 for the year. It doesn’t end him as a prospect, but it isn’t encouraging to see such a lack of production from one of the two outfield prospects the Nationals received in the Soto trade. On the bright side for Washington, the other outfielder it picked up for Soto, James Wood, was the No. 2 prospect in all of baseball in our updated 2023 rankings and had a four WAR improvement in this exercise.

Juan Yepez checks in a -6.1. Among pitchers, Dylan Floro and Thad Ward check in at -3.5 and -3.3 respectively. Looking for Nats-related positive news? Eric Fedde is up 2.7 WAR. Jesus Luzardo is up 3.0.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/01/robert-hassell-wrist-injury-nats-spring-training/

General impression is that wrist messed him up a lot of ways. Mentions not only the hamate, but also a subsequent wrist injury in the spring that delayed the start of the season. He changed his hitting approach to try to elevate and pull more, which only compounded things. Played hurt.

Strong bat-to-ball skills have always been a calling card for Hassell. He has quick hands, something he joked that he’s known since he was a 6-year-old taking swings in the backyard. His dad taught him about how Hank Aaron could flick his wrist to get his bat through the zone; Hassell always tried to do the same. But there were times last season where Hassell felt like he couldn’t trust his body.

Hassell would head to the plate thinking about his injury. He’d overcompensate, relying on his top hand more to swing. Looking back now, Hassell said he was so in his head that some at-bats were over before he stepped into the batter’s box. Delino DeShields — Harrisburg’s manager — never heard Hassell complain once about the injury. Hassell felt it was important to be available, even if he wasn’t fully himself.

DeShields had an interesting phrase for Hassell's struggles vs this camp - "identity issues." Both DeShields and Davey talk about how Hassell needed to know and get back to who he is (line drive/all fields).

Hassell also talks about how playing with Crews and Wood has led him to use his legs more than his earlier upper body & wrists approach. While he's hitting more whole field, he expects any additional power and pull will be more "natural" rather than a focus.

Golden had an interesting observation:

Hassell dropped off most prospect ranking lists this season and had only been on a handful headed into 2023. The lefty is a prime example of the reactionary nature of prospect rankings and the concept of prospect fatigue.

Players in their late teens and early 20s are expected to progress in a quick, linear fashion. And when they don’t, they can be cast off and dismissed as players who aren’t living up to their billing. That kind of thinking could have been why Hassell pressed to make changes and tried to play through his injury.

[Slateman]

I thought it was a hamate bone. When did a wrist issue enter the picture?

[imref]

he had the wrist injury before the hamate IIRC

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I thought it was a hamate bone. When did a wrist issue enter the picture?

Hassell broke the hamate bone in his right hand during the Arizona Fall League in 2022, a fracture that limited him to just two games. He missed about a month of the offseason but was fully healthy for the start of spring training a year ago. Hassell suffered a setback during last year’s camp though, an unrelated wrist injury that delayed his start to the season.

He rehabbed with Class A Fredericksburg this past April before joining Class AA Harrisburg in early May.

[imref]

Zuck:

The MRI on Robert Hassell III’s groin showed a strain, so it appears he’ll open the season on the IL. Hassell hasn’t been shut down, though. He’s playing catch and scheduled to hit off a tee today.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Zuck:

Rochester or Harrisburg's IL.

[imref]

Rochester or Harrisburg's IL.

Yes

[Slateman]

Dude is never healthy

[Five Banners]

Dude is never healthy

Nightmare

[Smithian]

I'm really worried this rope I'm holding onto may snap

[Elvir Ovcina]

I'm really worried this rope I'm holding onto may snap

It's almost inevitable in a prospect package that big that at least one guy was going to miss completely or fall short of expectations.  He's probably in the latter, but I wouldn't write him off completely.

[imref]

he's expected to play Tuesday at the showcase game in DC.

[welch]

It's almost inevitable in a prospect package that big that at least one guy was going to miss completely or fall short of expectations.  He's probably in the latter, but I wouldn't write him off completely.

Seems likely the "falls short" guy is Susana.

[Natsinpwc]

Seems likely the "falls short" guy is Susana.

I think it’s likely two will fail. 

[imref]

Seems likely the "falls short" guy is Susana.

He's only 19, but he's H-Rod right now: Throwing over 100MPH with no sense of control.

He just needs to breathe through his eyelids.

[nobleisthyname]

2023 / 2024 Spring Training Recap

Age: 22
Team rank: 8
Current level: AAA

2023 (2 levels): .221/.324/.321 .645 OPS, 9 HR, 15 SB (545 PA)
2023 AFL: .290/.366/.348 .714 OPS, 1 HR, 6 SB (82 PA)
2023 position (games played): 58 CF, 39 LF, 35 RF

2024 Spring Training: .357/.412/.786 1.198 OPS, 1 HR, 2 SB (17 PA)

Poor showings since being traded to the Nats has caused Hassell's prospect stock to plummet. He has been plagued with injuries during that time and a hot start in ST (before going down with an injury again) gives some hope of him recapturing some of what made him a top prospect in the first place.