Robert Hassell

There have been exceptions, like Mickey Moniak in 2016, but typically, the high school hitter with the best hit tool in the class has gone on to meet or exceed expectations as a prospect. Hassell was that player in the 2020 draft, and the early returns suggest he will develop into a quality big-league outfielder who will hit first or second for the Padres in a few years. He excelled at an appropriate age (19) for Low-A, hitting .323/.415/.482 with seven home runs, 31 steals (on 37 attempts), a 13.3 BB% and a 17.2 K% in 92 games. Stolen-base totals in the lower levels should be taken with a grain of salt, but Hassell is an above-average runner who should chip in 10-20 steals over full MLB seasons. The most exciting aspect of his profile is his hit tool. He needs to generate more loft (52.1 GB% at Low-A), but he already makes excellent swing decisions and uses the whole field. Hassell performed better in the power department after a bump to the more hitter-friendly park at High-A Fort Wayne, maintaining an all-fields approach while cutting his groundball rate to 32.7% and hitting four home runs in 18 games. However, his strikeout rate ballooned to 28.7%, so perhaps he was selling out for power. If he can regain the hit-over-power approach he showed at Low-A, Hassell should be able to be a 15-20 homer threat as he matures, which could lead to a 20/20 season or two in his mid-20s. He will head back to High-A for his age-20 season and could get a midsummer promotion to Double-A.

Hassell was tabbed as the prep hitter with the best hit tool in last year's class. It seems likely that he cut a deal with the Padres before they selected him at No. 8 overall, as he signed for almost $1 million less than slot value, which allowed the Friars to go over slot on Cole Wilcox. Hassell's left-handed swing is pretty level, which is not ideal in today's game, but he added strength and bat speed after signing. If he keeps his current swing, the hope would be for a .300 hitter who hits 20 home runs and steals 10-15 bases. That's a good player in real life and fantasy, but he won't have much margin for error with the hit tool, as he would be a much less interesting player if he were only a .270 hitter. The Padres expect him to be able to handle center field, despite the fact he is not a plus runner. This would put less pressure on him to unlock more power.