Smith, Haseley forge similar path to Minors

After commissioner Rob Manfred announced his name as the D-backs' first-round selection in this June's Draft, Pavin Smith had to deliver a disappointing message to a group of reporters gathered outside his house in Jupiter, Florida.
"I had to tell them, 'I can't be interviewed until after Adam is picked. He can go at any time,'" MLB.com's No. 71 prospect recalled.
The "Adam" that held up media availabilty for the No. 7 overall pick was Adam Haseley, Smith's roommate for the past two years at the University of Virginia. Luckily for the local press, the Phillies called Haseley's number with the following pick.

Haseley recalls waiting in his home in Orlando, Florida, and being suspicious that his name would be announced close to Smith's, which drew his own attention away from his friend. The absurdity of what occurred then took a moment to sink in.
"This may never happen again -- it probably won't," said Brian O'Connor, head baseball coach of the Cavaliers. "It was certainly cool for our program."
The duo was the first pair of college teammates to be selected with consecutive picks in the top 10 since 2004. The Mets drafted Rice University right-hander Philip Humber No. 3 overall and Tampa Bay picked Jeff Niemann in the following slot. Another pair of Virginia alumni, Derek Fisher and Mike Papi, were drafted with consecutive picks (No. 37 and 38, respectively) in the competitive balance round in 2014.
Smith and Haseley have both found immediate success in a short time since the Draft. Smith, a first baseman who ranks as Arizona's top prospect, leads the Northwest League with a .337 batting average and .429 on-base percentage for Class A Short Season Hillsboro but is still looking for his first professional homer.
Haseley, the No. 7 Phillies prospect, has already earned two promotions, the first after three games in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and the next just 37 games into his stint with Class A Short Season Williamsport, where the outfielder hit .270/.350/.380 with two homers, nine doubles and 18 RBIs. Now with Class A Lakewood, Haseley has eight hits, including a homer, in his first 32 at-bats.

Smith (l.) and Haseley both committed early to Virginia from Florida high schools. (Patrick Cavey/MiLB.com)
They shared a similar road to the Minors, both as Florida natives who committed to Virginia early in their high school careers. They had not met each other until their freshman year, though O'Connor knew they were bound to grow close.
"We felt like they were a good fit for each other. Their family background, the things that were important to them -- they're really both hard-working men," O'Connor said. "They both have a great outlook on baseball and life, so there are a lot of great commonalities between the two of them."
For Haseley, it was the realization that Smith had grown up in a household similar to his own with a strong Christian faith that drew him to his new teammate.
"I think that's something you don't really share with a lot of people, that similarity in a relationship," Haseley said. "I think it's just cool that we both had that same background, then form a bond off that."
Early in his college career, Haseley earned the nickname "Rev," which stuck for the remainder of his time in Charlottesville.
"It was like my name, pretty much ... literally from the first week I was there," Haseley recalled. "It's weird being [in the Minors] now and not being called Rev."
The nickname spoke not only to his faith, but to a level-headed, calming nature that he and Smith both shared.
"I think we have the same type of personality, kind of feed off each other," Smith said. "If I don't know what's going on, I usually just look at Adam because he was probably doing the right thing."

Memories of their time in the apartment they shared off campus aren't typical of any wild, frat-house antics, but rather road trips to fast-food joints and small pranks played on one another, with Smith being the main culprit.
"We were together all the time," Smith said. "I didn't have a car there and he did, so basically I went to eat with him like every single day. I would always be with him."
As the two became close friends, they also developed into clubhouse leaders.
"Pavin and I aren't going to be guys who are yelling and screaming at people," Haseley said. "Off the field we're not going to be guys who are getting in trouble and stuff like that. We like to think that they respect how we go about things. There was more leading by example and trying to pave the way for the younger guys, playing the game the right way and respecting it."
During their freshman season, Smith and Haseley lived in neighboring dorms on campus with two other teammates. They'd sometimes stay together on the road, but one of the first and certainly most lasting memories of their time as roommates came while they stayed in the same hotel room in Omaha during the 2015 College World Series.
After a strong freshman season, the pair had become mainstays in the starting lineup as Virginia marched into the finals against a defending national champion Vanderbilt squad that featured five future first-round Draft picks, including the No. 1 overall selection in 2015, Dansby Swanson.

The Commodores took Game 1 and, before the next contest, the Virginia pitching staff, which included Haseley, met for their regular meeting. He made 10 appearances on the mound throughout the regular season but had not thrown in a game since before the conference tournament.
Smith was waiting in the room he and Haseley shared and, upon Haseley's arrival, he rattled off a list of names that he expected might start Game 2. Smith was left stunned when Haseley eventually pointed back at himself.
"I usually just sit in the back of the meetings because ... I didn't pitch for a month or whatever leading up to it, so I was just like half asleep," Haseley said. "Then I just heard my name or whatever and then the room kind of went dead silent. I thought he said the wrong name."
Haseley threw five scoreless innings, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out three as the Cavs took Game 2, 3-0.
"I was nervous moreso of the stage and going in front of the crowd and being on TV," Haseley said. "I felt like leading up to it that I was throwing the ball well, even though I only had a few outings that year."
Smith fed off the energy from his roommate's performance for Game 3. He hit a game-tying, two-run homer in the fourth inning and knocked a single to drive in Haseley for the go-ahead run in the following frame. Virginia retained that lead for the rest of the contest en route to becoming national champions.

"The whole College World Series, people forget I really played pretty poorly the whole time. I was kind of struggling, my teammates kept having to pick me up and they were really encouraging," Smith said. "That home run, I still watch it -- it gives me goosebumps. I still vividly remember us going down into the dog pile."
The pair remains in touch and still consider each other close friends, although they now play for separate organizations. Being part of three different teams in a little more than two months since the Draft has given Haseley a crash course in the nature of a business that can often drag players from their friends.
"It's just the way it's going to be," Haseley said. "You're always going to be moving and meeting new people."
As far as the possibility of playing against each other in the Minors, it would have to be in the Triple-A National Championship, if they were to stay with the same organization.
"I'll always be pulling for him and wanting the best for him," Haseley said. "I guess it would just be weird, not being in the same place or playing against each other for a while."
However thin the chances, the idea is intriguing to both Smith and Haseley.
"It wouldn't even just be playing against him. It would be like being able to go to dinner after the game with him and stuff and being able to hang out with him again," Smith said. "Playing games against him would be a weird experience. I'll be taking the game seriously and try and beat him."