Robert Hassell III is the No. 2 prospect in the Nationals organization, and was one of the pieces the Nats got back from San Diego in the Juan Soto trade.
And when he joined Grant & Danny while they were live in Bowie prior to the Harrisburg Senators’ game against the Baysox, Hassell admitted that after the deal, he put too much pressure on himself, and tried to do too much, to prove his pedigree and his worth as part of the deal.
“The trade over here taught me a few things, one being how much relationships help,” Hassell said. “Coming over here where I only knew Darren Baker from the Futures Game…taking time to meet everyone makes it a lot easier, and then you realize it’s the same game. You can get overwhelmed with all the hype, and when I got to (High-A) Wilmington at first, I was pressing, like I had to show them, and doing a bit too much. Settling down, knowing who I am, and playing my game is going to give me the best chance.”
Since coming off the IL in early May, though, the No. 8 pick in the 2020 Draft has gotten on base at a .366 clip in 24 games entering Thursday, and he has posted one of the best walk rates in the Minors.
“I think this year has been good so far; I just like winning games, and as long as we can do that…I’ve been at the top of the lineup, so I can get things going for the team,” Hassell said. “I’ve liked how I’ve been seeing a lot of pitches, especially at the start of the game, getting guys some eyes on the pitcher, and on defense, I’ve felt good all year. It’s been fun.”
The injury that caused him to start the year on a rehab assignment at Low-A was really the first time he had a physical setback, and it was a difficult realization for the now-21-year-old who hit Double-A last year and could have, quite possibly, been up to Triple-A by now if not for that injury.
“I feel 100 percent, and even in Fredericksburg, getting back in the flow of the game…it’s hard to simulate nine innings, and taking time off for injury for the first time really in my life showed me the game is hard,” Hassell said. “I got back in the flow of it, and improving on everything I need to do to get to the big leagues is my main focus.”
The team hasn’t necessarily given him a checklist of what they need to see, per se, but to him, it’s all about just trying to do his job at the top of the lineup, and hit the ball harder more consistently.
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He’s already seen C.J. Abrams and MacKenzie Gore have success in MLB, and James Wood, one of the other two prospects dealt in the six-player haul, just joined him at Double-A, so the future is coming fast for Hassell and the Nats.
"Being a baseball fan, it's really exciting, and with all the guys we have, it's like, wow," Hassell said. "As a whole, it's looking really good."
Looking good, with a lot less pressure to get there.
“I just try to put myself in other players’ shoes – James Wood is in the same boat as me. We have to be professionals about it; we’re playing a game and performance matters, but you have to be you,” Hassell said. “I’ll let Juan Soto do his thing, he’s a great player, but all of us that came over here, we have talent, and if we do our thing, I believe we’re going to help this team a lot.”
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