Padres agree with first-round pick Hassell
SAN DIEGO -- The Padres have agreed to terms with first-round MLB Draft pick Robert Hassell III, the team announced Tuesday night. The sweet-swinging outfielder put pen to paper on a $4.3 million signing bonus, according to a source.
Hassell, a lefty hitter from Independence High School in Thompson’s Station, Tenn., was the first high schooler taken in the Draft earlier this month. The 18-year-old batted .423 with 14 home runs as a junior and took home state player of the year honors in each of the past two seasons.
"We think we added the best prep hitter in the class," Padres scouting director Mark Conner said on Draft night.
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Hassell's bonus is well below the slot’s $5.18 million value, seemingly leaving an opening for the Padres to sign third-round pick Cole Wilcox -- a right-hander out of Georgia who many considered a first-round talent. Wilcox fell to No. 80 overall because of questions about whether he'd sign. But the Padres have now inked Hassell, second-rounder Owen Caissie, fourth-rounder Levi Thomas and fifth-rounder Jagger Haynes for below the suggested slot values.
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The Padres agreed to terms with Caissie on Wednesday, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis. A lefty-hitting outfielder like Hassell, Caissie signed for $1,200,004. The Ontario native projects to add serious power to his 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame, and he boasts an above-average arm. Callis also reported Wednesday that Competitive Balance Round A pick Justin Lange has also agreed to a deal with San Diego, leaving Wilcox as the club's only unsigned Draft pick. The Padres have up to $2,793,996 to spend on a deal for Wilcox without exceeding their bonus pool, and $3,327,696 without exceeding the pool by more than 5%, thus forfeiting future Draft picks.
As for Hassell, the Padres expect him to stick in center field. But he’s clearly known mostly for his bat. Hassell hit .385/.467/.654 at the MLB Prospect Development Pipeline Showcase last summer. He followed that by hitting .514 at the 18-U World Cup in South Korea, earning International Player of the Year honors for his performance in the tournament.
Said Hassell on Draft night two weeks ago: “You can’t really put this into words. … It’s definitely super, super exciting.”