Adam Haseley’s March 2022 trade from Philadelphia to Chicago represented an opportunity for the former first-rounder to find his footing with a change of scenery, but that project will likely have to continue elsewhere.
The Phillies’ No. 8 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Haseley was designated for assignment by the White Sox on Tuesday, the team announced. His was the corresponding move to make space on the 40-man roster for Paul DeJong, who signed a one-year contract with the South Siders.
Haseley played 42 games across two seasons with the White Sox, slashing .228/.302/.263. He spent the bulk of those seasons with Triple-A Charlotte, posting a .717 OPS in 2022 and a .723 clip in 2023.
After his first-round selection as an outfielder out of Virginia, where Haseley was a two-way standout, he spent five seasons in the Phillies organization, including three at the Major League level. His best of those three came in 2019, when he hit .266 with a .720 OPS across 67 games, mostly in the second half. But Haseley’s production — particularly his slugging — waned in 2020. The next year, he saw only nine games of big league action and struggled mightily at Triple-A, slugging a meager .295 with Lehigh Valley.
Upon his draft selection and throughout his time in the Phillies’ organization, Haseley was viewed as a prospect with decent-to-slightly-above-average tools across the board, but one whose ceiling was only so high because he didn’t excel in any particular department. Ultimately, Haseley’s bat — especially his inability to hit for any power — never quite lived up to that low-floor potential in Philadelphia. The Phillies traded him to the White Sox for minor league reliever McKinley Moore, then the Sox’s No. 27 prospect, a bit over a week from 2022 Opening Day.
Haseley was the third straight first-round Phillies outfielder whom it’s safe to chalk up as a complete whiff on the organization’s part. Cornelius Randolph was the team’s No. 10 overall selection in 2015 before later heading to (ironically) the White Sox and, ultimately, independent ball. The team took Mickey Moniak first overall in an admittedly weak 2016 class, and while he could very well factor into the Los Angeles Angels’ long-terms plans, it didn’t work out in Philadelphia.
As for Haseley, he’ll hope to revitalize his career elsewhere in 2024 and beyond.
