OF Robert Hassell, Independence HS [TN]
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DoB: 8/15/2001. B/T: L/L
Commitment: Vanderbilt
Hassell, like fellow Vanderbilt outfield recruit Pete Crow-Armstrong, is one of the more famous names in this prep class. He has put on quite a few shows on the summer showcase circuit and could be the best hitter to come out of the Nashville area since Mookie Betts. Often comped to Jarred Kelenic, who is now tearing it up in the Mariners' system, Hassell isn't quite the hitter Kelenic was in high school but has a lot of similarities in his profile with a hit-over-power approach, a strong showcase track record, and an early birthday that makes him old for the class.
Hassell can hit. He produced hard contact as consistently as anybody on the showcase circuit, and there were stretches of time where you just couldn't get him out. When he's on and staying within himself as a hitter, not even the best prep pitching could find holes in his swing, and Hasssell would drop line drives from gap to gap like it was nothing. That contact ability comes from a very quick, very smooth, professional-looking left handed swing. He gets the barrel into the zone quickly and stays through the ball with great extension, enabling him to catch up to velocity and make adjustments on offspeed pitches. That gives him a great chance to post high on-base percentages in pro ball, and while Kelenic's offensive profile was slightly more robust than Hassell's, Kelenic's huge success in pro ball certainly doesn't hurt projections for a similar hitter in Hassell. Defensively, he has a solid profile that will enable him to add value in the outfield. While he's not a clear-cut center fielder like Crow-Armstrong, he's one of the better defensive outfielders in the class with good speed, developing range, and a strong arm. It will take a bit more refinement if he wants to stick there, but he profiles as above average in right field and certainly so in left field, taking a little bit of pressure off the bat.
The one question in Hassell's profile surrounds his power. He's not a small guy at a listed 6'2" and 195 pounds, but the contact he makes is much more consistently "hard" than truly "explosive." That profiles great for doubles and triples down the road, especially with his above average speed, but when your top exit velocities are in the low 90's (Austin Hendrick, meanwhile, gets well into triple digits), that first round microscope focuses in stronger. When he has tried to tap into more power, it has at times come at the expense of his prodigious hit tool, which we would rather not mess with. The hit tool is strong enough that he could happily produce on-base percentages near .400 while topping out in the teens for home runs, but as I said, that first round microscope is a strong one. With an August birthday, he's also a bit older than most of the other names in this high school class (though still two months younger than Hendrick, our elder statesman), which is a small but relevant thing.
Right now, Hassell projects pretty clearly in the first round, most likely somewhere in the front half due to his strong track record of hitting. The hit tool is certainly for real and that, plus his athletic frame, gives some hope that he can tap into some power, and the team that takes him in the top 10-15 picks will be the one that believes in that power potential. As for me, I wouldn't say more power isn't possible, but I'd peg him more as a 15 home run guy than as a 25 homer guy. Overall, with probably the best hit tool in the high school class, his outlook remains very favorable.
Summer footage
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