AFL Update: Oct. 11, 2024
Salt River rallied again in the middle innings, erasing a two-run deficit with a three-run 6th to take their second straight game, 6-4.
Robert Hassell (pictured, from 2023) led the Rafters batters with three hits and three RBI, including a two-run HR in the 7th that put Salt River on top for good. The 23-y.o. had three putouts in right field and gunned down a runner at 2nd base.
Cayden Wallace shifted DH and drew two walks in five plate appearances, scoring one run ahead of the Hassell homer.
Max Romero Jr. returned behind the plate and had nine putouts while going 0-for-1 thowing out basethieves. At the plate, he was hitless with a walk and a whiff.
Dustin Saenz was the first man out of the Salt River ‘pen but was dinged for a two-run HR and three hits total over two innings. He struck out two and walked none.
The Rafters remain on the road, travelling to Surprise to face the Saguaros this afternoon.
A New Years in April 25 will usher in a new Hassell 3.
Saenz sure needs all the work he can get between AFL and spring camp . We are rooting for the Aggie Southport .
Encouraging AFL starts for Hassell and Wallace. Good to see Wallace in particular basically playing every day. Fingers crossed that both can build some momentum and confidence in the desert, like Millas did a couple of years ago.
No doubt scouts will have taken notice of Hassell’s hot start. I still think if he could regain even a bit of that prospect helium that he had when he was packaged for Soto, that he’d be our most superfluous prospect with the most trade value. And if he did rediscover that really good level of performance when still with the Padres, and turned back into a uber prospect, then it would potentially make Jacob Young, himself an extremely good 3 WAR player, superfluous and an extremely valuable trade chip.
With House, Wallace and Morales, unless we make a big FA splash at the hot corners, we’re going to have to live and die by their development progress, much like we did with Carter Kieboom.
But with Hassell we can keep some of that mystery alive when trading him, since we have 3-5 fine-to-very good OFs ahead of him in DC. But Hassell will need to have a monster AFL and start to 2025 before anyone will be really buying into him, but a 1.445 OPS is a good start!
On another note, it would be a really pleasant surprise if Max Romero could have a good AFL. He had an extremely disappointing season, batting merely .188/.277/.347 and he regressed in literally every measurable statistic on a quiet breakout season in 2023. If he could pull a Millas, that would be a big deal.
I just noticed that Hassell is Rule 5 eligible, so there’s going to be a BIG decision on him. I think he confuses me more than any other Nat prospect. Were there that many people who were that wrong about him, or has he been a victim of being pushed too quickly plus several injuries? Or a little of both? He just turned 23 in August, so he still may develop in time.