Overview
Hit: 55. Power: 45. Field: 60. Throw: 60. Run: 55.
In addition to seeing Pavin Smith, I had the opportunity to watch UVA's two-way star Adam Haseley play in a three game set at Virginia Tech. As with so many others coming into this season, scouts were all interested to see whether Haseley would shine more as a hitter or as a pitcher this season. As it turns out, the former is true, and he has shot up draft boards into first round consideration with his all-around style of play. Let's take a look.
Strengths
Haseley has had a multi-faceted breakout season as a hitter this year. As of April 15th, he has vastly improved his on-base percentage (.377 to .503), isolated power (.198 to .302), and strikeout to walk ratio (1.04:1 to 0.46:1) at the same time. Beginning his stance in a slight crouch and with a sizeable leg kick, he generates power from a quick left-handed swing that is more oriented towards line drives right now than it is towards home runs. His stance and load both remind me of a left handed Josh Donaldson, and if he can make the necessary adjustments (see Weaknesses), an offensive profile like Donaldson's isn't all-together out of the question. Like his teammate, Pavin Smith, he is extremely polished at the plate, putting up an excellent 13/28 strikeout to walk ratio (7.6% to 16.5%) and really working his counts to get his pitch. He's not the fastest guy in the world, but he uses his speed well and has stolen 17 bases in 23 attempts (73.9%) so far in his college career. He's a gifted center fielder, displaying great range and a cannon for an arm that also helps him dial up well-located 90 MPH fastballs as a member of the Cavaliers' weekend rotation. Combined with 2018 Draft prospects Jake McCarthy (younger brother of Rays prospect Joe McCarthy) and Cameron Simmons, both terrific fielders in their own rights, not much drops in that UVA outfield.
Weaknesses
Haseley has a few flaws in his swing mechanics, most notably in his swing angle and in his load. Fortunately, these are most likely fixable. Starting with the load, Haseley seems to be tentative in using it at this point, keeping all of his weight on his back leg while he picks up and places down that front foot. That is not necessarily a bad thing, because it keeps him from leaking power, but at the same time it saps the even greater potential power that can be generated from gaining ground in a stride such as his. His swing, at this point, is line-drive oriented. He swings down on the ball to stay on top, and while this produces its fair share of line drives, it also produces a lot of ground balls and means he will only be able to tap his power consistently if he turns on inside pitches. If he can add more loft to that swing while gaining ground with his load, he's an All Star.
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