Padres: Hassell’s HS coach “his maturity level is off the charts”

Mick McLaury, the high school coach of Robert Hassell, joined Ben and Woods to discuss what the Padres are getting in their first-round pick.

On Wednesday evening, the Padres drafted arguably the best high school prep star in the country in Robert Hassell. The Vanderbilt commit has already drawn comparisons to Bryce Harper, with a pretty, uppercut swing. His high school coach, Mike McLaury, joined the Ben and Woods show on 97.3 The Fan on Friday to discuss what the Padres are getting.

From a general perspective:

“He’s obviously a great baseball player, he’s a great teammate, and he’s a winner. He loves to win, he’s a very good competitor. You’re getting an all-around player that I believe is going to be up in the big leagues sooner or later and for a long time.”

On where he’s expected to play in the field and bat in the lineup:

“He played centerfield and he was my number one pitcher as well. I lead him off because I tried to get one more at-bat in the game. I figured they were going to walk him a lot. If they wanted to walk him the first at-bat of the game, he’d steal second and third for me, and at least we’d get a run out of it.”

On the draft process:

“He was the best player in our league as a freshman. He’s a phenomenal talent. I’m just more proud of how he handled himself throughout all this. It’s really hectic. His maturity level, it’s off the charts.”

On his pitching abilities:

“He committed to Vanderbilt, and to my understanding, he was going to do both (pitching and hitting). He would have been a good draft on the mound as well.”

Obviously, the Padres didn’t draft him to be a starting pitcher, but I think it speaks volumes to his natural abilities on the baseball field. You can listen to the entire interview right here.