April in the Midwest League tends to evoke visions of snow-outs and stinging hands, but Robert Hassell III stayed red-hot throughout the month.
The 20-year-old launched a two-run dinger to left in the third inning — with the ball bouncing back into the field of play and requiring an umpires meeting before being confirmed. In the fifth, he sent a laser right back up the middle for an RBI single. Hassell had a bloop to right find the grass with two outs in the seventh before wrapping up his month with a laced two-bagger in the gap that plated Reinaldo Ilarraza in the ninth.
The third-inning dinger gives MLB’s No. 35 prospect five on the season and his .408 batting average and .471 on-base percentage lead the league, while his .645 slugging percentage ranks second. The four hits match a career high he set with Single-A Lake Elsinore last Aug. 27 and give him 11 multihit showings in 20 games this year.
The 2020 No. 8 overall Draft selection spent his rookie campaign last year between Single-A Lake Elsinore and Fort Wayne. Over 110 total games, Hassell posted a .302/.393/.470 slash line with 11 home runs, four triples, 33 doubles, 87 runs scored and 76 RBIs. He also showed great baserunning instincts, successfully swiping 34 bags in 40 tries.
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