Phillies prospects: Will Adam Haseley make the majors in 2019?
One of the Phillies best prospects could make a big jump in 2019
When the Phillies drafted outfielder Adam Haseley eighth-overall in the 2017 MLB Draft the consensus view was that his college bat could lead to a quick big league arrival. Last season he was named as the Phillies top hitting prospect of the year by MLB Pipeline and is currently rated by the site as Philadelphia’s fourth-best prospect.
The former Virginia Cavaliers star was rated as an above-average hitter with little power that could develop more once he got into a professional program. In his junior season for Virginia, he hit .390 with 14 home runs in 58 games and walked more than twice as many times than he struck out.
As expected Haseley has had a quick climb through the minor leagues from day one when he hit .583 in three Gulf Coast League games going 7-12 with three strikeouts.
The remainder of 2017 was spent with Williamsport and Lakewood, the club’s Single-A affiliate. His bat cooled off, hitting .264 with 16 extra-base hits between the two levels over 55 games.
Last year Haseley started with Advanced-A Clearwater and spent the majority of his first full professional season at Philadelphia’s spring training facility. He hit .300 with 13 doubles, five triples, and five home runs in 79 games, but his strikeout numbers climbed slightly, punching out 54 times versus just 19 walks.
Haseley made the jump to Double-A Reading for 39 games to end the 2018 season and continued to rake at the plate. The 22-year-old hit .316 with six home runs for the Fightin Phils and his K/BB ratio evened out at 19/16.
Where does that leave Haseley for the 2019 season? Currently, the Iron Pigs roster is bare, but, barring a trade, it’s likely Dylan Cozens starts the season at a corner outfield spot.
I believe the Phillies want Roman Quinn to make the opening day roster, which would leave center field open in Lehigh Valley. Aaron Altherr is no lock to make the 25-man roster out of spring training, but he’s more than likely going to be with the team after being demoted in August.
Right now there is certainly room for Haseley on the Triple-A roster, but I’m not sure the organization is ready to throw him out there just yet. He’s played 176 minor league games in a season and a half, and the Phillies are in no rush to get him into red pinstripes.
With his advanced bat, Haseley is likely to jump to Lehigh Valley at some point in 2019.
As for the big leagues? A lot of other decisions will play into whether there is room. The Phillies aren’t going to bring him up to sit on the bench. If Haseley arrives he’s going to play.
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Will Bryce Harper be in right field, will Rhys Hoskins be back at first base, will everyone stay healthy, will another outfielder be added? Those are the decisions that will impact whether or not Haseley makes an appearance late in the season.
Even if Haseley starts this year in Lehigh Valley I don’t see room for him in Philadelphia right away. The Phillies won’t call him up before the deadline to give themselves another year of team control over Haseley.
Even if there’s an injury I don’t see Haseley coming up considering the availability of Quinn, Altherr, Cozens, and whomever else the organization adds this offseason.
Next. Phillies: Three realistic expectations for the offseason. dark
Barring an injury the earliest I see Haseley making the Phillies is as a September call-up once the minor league playoffs are over. At this point, he’s more likely to become an everyday player in the summer of 2020.