Robert Hassell

21-Year-Old OutfielderOF
Washington Nationals AA
Out
Injury Wrist
Est. Return 4/1/2023
2023 Fantasy Outlook
At the time of the Juan Soto trade, many may have seen Hassell as the headliner of a stacked five-player package the Nationals received from San Diego. However, it quickly became clear that James Wood is the best prospect the Nationals got back, and C.J. Abrams and MacKenzie Gore (and even Jarlin Susana) also have a shot to exceed Hassell's contributions. When a hit-tool first prospect starts showcasing hit tool concerns (28.7 K% in 27 games at Double-A), it can be a red flag, and Hassell's power didn't spike to go along with the elevated strikeout rate. He has never walked less than 10% of the time, so he could be a leadoff or No. 2 hitter if he only has a 55-grade hit tool, especially in Washington. Hassell is an aggressive, above-average runner, so double-digit steals should be there as well. However, there's a chance Hassell ends up being just a slightly better version of Lane Thomas, and there's an argument for selling low on the 21-year-old center fielder in dynasty this winter. He broke a hamate bone in his hand during the Arizona Fall League, but is expected to be ready for spring training. Read Past Outlooks
RANKSFrom Preseason
#601
ADP
$Signed a $4.3 million contract with the Padres in June of 2020. Traded to the Nationals in August of 2022.
Sidelined with new wrist issue
OFWashington Nationals  AA
Wrist
March 9, 2023
Hassell is currently sidelined in Nationals camp with a new wrist injury, Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post reports.
ANALYSIS
It is apparently unrelated to the right hamate bone fracture that Hassell sustained in the 2022 Arizona Fall League. There is no timetable as to when the 21-year-old top outfield prospect might begin appearing in live games. He had been ticketed for Double-A Harrisburg to open the 2023 regular season.
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Robert Hassell See More
Top 400 MLB Prospect Rankings Update
2 days ago
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73 days ago
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238 days ago
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
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.
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Recovered from hamate injury
OFWashington Nationals  AA
Wrist
February 16, 2023
Manager Dave Martinez said Thursday that Hassell is fully recovered from surgery to remove the hamate bone from his right wrist, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Fractures wrist in AFL
OFWashington Nationals  AA
Wrist
October 12, 2022
Hassell was diagnosed Wednesday with a broken hamate bone in his right wrist and will miss the remainder of the Arizona Fall League, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Struggles with new organization
OFWashington Nationals  AA
September 22, 2022
Hassell hit just .222/.312/.296 with one home run and one steal across 27 games after being promoted to Double-A Harrisburg in mid-August.
ANALYSIS
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Arrives at Double-A
OFWashington Nationals  AA
August 16, 2022
The Nationals promoted Hassell from High-A Wilmington to Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday.
ANALYSIS
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Sent to Nats in Soto deal
OFWashington Nationals  AA
August 2, 2022
Hassell was traded from the Padres to the Nationals on Tuesday along with Luke Voit, CJ Abrams, James Wood, MacKenzie Gore and Jarlin Susana in exchange for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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