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.