Minor Monday: Delmarva's Haskin making strides in first year - BaltimoreBaseball.com
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Minor Monday: Delmarva’s Haskin making strides in first year

Hudson Haskin was known for his batting style as a highly touted prospect out of Tulane University.

He swings with a high leg kick — much like former major-leaguer Hunter Pence— and manages to put the barrel on the ball and hit for power for the Delmarva Shorebirds.

Haskin is batting .272/.379/.411 with four homers and 26 RBIs with 12 stolen bases in 40 games (151 at-bats).

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“I’d say it’s one those things that have evolved over time,” Haskin told BaltimoreBaseball.com. “This year, I put in a lot of work during the offseason to try and refine some stuff and establish a routine. My main goal is to just be consistent and continue to work on what makes me be me and what I need to do to be successful.”

As a sophomore at Tulane University in 2020, the 6-foot-2, 22-year-old outfielder hit .333/.452/.500 (22-for-66) with six doubles, one triple, one home run, 18 runs, and 14 RBIs in 17 games on the season, which was shortened because of Covid-19. Haskin also finished the season with a perfect fielding percentage and did not make an error in 73 career games at Tulane.

Haskin also broke the stolen-base record of three-time All-Star George Springer at Avon Old Farms, a prep school in Connecticut.

Haskin is the Orioles 14th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.com.

“I’m kind of getting into the routine of playing every day, going through the ups and downs of the season,” Haskin said. “The pitching at Delmarva is definitely more consistent than it was in college. Every guy that you face has good stuff and is a good pitcher. In college, you might face a guy that is not as talented. Overall, I feel like my transition has been going well.”

Haskin was initially taken in the 39th round by the Oakland Athletics out of high school in 2018 but opted to attend Tulane to get his degree. The decision helped his draft status; he was selected by the Orioles in the second round (No. 39 overall) in 2020.

“My parents had made a lot of sacrifices over the years and always preached the importance of getting an education, so I felt that going to Tulane would give me the ability to do that,” Haskin said. “I also wanted to continue my dream of playing in the big leagues.”

Haskin was invited to the fall Instructional League camp at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Florida this past year. The experience gave him the opportunity to be around big-leaguers, watching their techniques and work habits.

“That was a really good experience just to meet everybody in the organization and kind of get a taste of what professional baseball is like,” Haskin said. “It was a super-competitive environment and definitely gave you a taste of what it is like.”

Shorebirds hitting coach Patrick Jones likes Haskin’s versatility. He can hit for power, is solid defensively, and can steal bases.

Haskin contends the versatility is a key to his success. Even when the hits don’t come as easily, he can still bring something to the lineup.

“I try to impact the game whatever way I can,” Haskin said. “Defense and speed are two things that don’t slump.”

Haskin needs much more seasoning before the Orioles would consider promoting him to the major-league club. He plans to stick with the strategy that has brought him success.

“I want to be present in every moment and take it game-by-game, pitch-by-pitch and, if I do that, I’ll put myself in a good spot,” Haskin said.  “I am just going to play as hard as I can wherever they put me. I’ll see where the chips fall.”

Homers: Outfielder Cristopher Cespedes hit two grand slams last week for Low-A Delmarva  against the Fredericksburg Nationals. His first one came in a 10-0 win Tuesday. The second one came in a 6-3 victory on Thursday. … First Baseman TT Bowens snapped an 0-for-18 skid with a first-inning homer against Fredericksburg in a 6-3 victory Friday night. It was his fourth home run on the year and first at Perdue Stadium.

Ups and Downs: Kyle Brnovich lost his season debut for Double-A Bowie, allowing three hits, one run and one walk while striking out six batters in four innings in a 10-2 loss to New Hampshire on Thursday night. Brnovich was acquired by the Orioles along with three other right-handed pitchers — Kyle Bradish, Isaac Mattson, and Zach Peek from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Dylan Bundy in 2019. He was dominant at High-A Aberdeen this season, going 4-1 with a 2.36 ERA. … Grayson Rodriguez threw five-inning shutout innings in a 10-0 victory over New Hampshire on Saturday night. He allowed one hit and one walk while striking out eight. Rodriguez is 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA in five Double-A starts.

Bradish Shines: Bradish struck out a season-high 10 batters in Triple-A Norfolk’s 6-2 win over the Gwinnett Stripers on Friday. He allowed two runs and three hits in five innings. Bradish’s fastball touched 96 miles per hour, and he retired seven straight hitters to end his night.

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