WASHINGTON -- In the two days since Robert Hassell III has returned to the Nationals from Triple-A Rochester, the 23-year-old outfielder is feeling more comfortable in his second Major League stint. And in only five at-bats, it has shown at the plate.
Hassell belted a Statcast-projected 416-foot home run off right-hander Brandon Woodruff in Saturday afternoon’s 8-2 loss to the Brewers at Nationals Park. Between pinch-hitting in the eighth inning on Friday and starting in center field on Saturday, Hassell is 3-for-5 with one double, one homer, four RBIs and one strikeout.
“I watched a lot of videos,” said Hassell, who is ranked as Washington’s No. 9 prospect by MLB Pipeline. “My last stint up here, I started to get a little bit defensive and [I was] just worrying about putting the ball in play instead of really hitting it hard. So [I am] just swinging with some intent, and that's what I was trying to do today.”
Hassell tied the distance of his first big league home run. On May 28, he crushed a 416-foot solo home run to center field at T-Mobile Park in Seattle off right-hander Blas Castaño. Hassell also navigated a full count in that at-bat like he did against Woodruff.
“I think he relies a lot on that heater and does a good job with it,” Hassell said of Woodruff. “And [he] has a couple of different heaters that move different ways. So once I fouled that off, I knew I spoiled a good one. But I figured he wasn’t going to try to beat around the bush; he was going to try go get me. It was eight pitches, 3-2 count, so [I was] just trying to be on time with the fastball.”
Hassell methodically maneuvered the sequencing of the veteran Woodruff, fouling off a fifth-pitch fastball and a seventh-pitch sinker before going yard on the eighth pitch.
"[Woodruff] was so angry, that one pitch to Hassell,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “I think he threw him six fastballs in a row. But Hassell, I think he realizes what a great prospect he is, the kind of fast speed he has and that type of thing. So I think he'd like that one back."
Hassell made his Major League debut on May 22. He appeared in 21 games between center and right field before being optioned to Rochester on June 16. During that first stint, Hassell hit .218 with one double, one home run, six runs, eight RBIs, one walk and one stolen base.
Hassell got hot at the plate when he returned to the Red Wings. He slashed .336/.435/.519 with six doubles, six home runs, 26 runs, 25 RBIs, seven stolen bases and 23 walks to 23 strikeouts over 33 games.
“I've been working down in Triple-A, and I felt like I've been feeling some good stuff, being able to pull the ball in the air a little bit,” Hassell said. “So to see it happen one time [on the home run], hopefully it happens more. But in the first start back, it's nice.”
Hassell was called up to the Nationals following Thursday’s Trade Deadline, after outfielder Alex Call was traded to the Dodgers. The Nats are utilizing James Wood, Jacob Young, Daylen Lile and Hassell in the outfield while Dylan Crews progresses in his rehab assignment.
“He’s been swinging it really well,” Wood said of Hassell. “Today with the homer and yesterday with the couple knocks coming in late, it’s just been impressive. He can hit, and I think we all know that. So just him coming in and doing that was definitely impressive.”