Former Top Nationals Prospect Makes Most of Final Chance in Arizona Fall League
Outfielder Robert Hassell III was expected to be roaming the outfield in Nationals Park this season, not the grasses of the Arizona Fall League for a third consecutive October.
The oft-injured outfielder, once the centerpiece of a trade of all-world outfielder Juan Soto, is facing his last chance to make a positive impression on the front office and ensure that an MLB future is still ahead of him with the Washington Nationals.
Hassell, 23, started his third stint in the AFL with a bang, going 2-4 with two RBI and a stolen base in the 9-8 Salt River Rafters victory over the Scottsdale Scorpions last night. It's Hassell's final chance to show that his previous ranking as the #1 prospect in Washington's organization post-Soto trade wasn't a fluke before injuries and ineffectiveness hampered him the last two seasons.
Hassell was one of the cornerstones of a package that has been a "boom-or-bust" return for Washington so far - of the six players that the Nationals received from the San Diego Padres for the star outfielder, two have ended up being MLB cornerstones (SS CJ Abrams and LHP MacKenzie Gore), another debuted this year and is a promising part of the next great Nationals team (OF James Wood), one is out of baseball (1B Luke Voit), and both Hassell and RHP Jarlin Susana is still stuck in the minors.
While Susana is young and still on his development timeline, Hassell's progression has been delayed for various reasons. Dealing with various injuries over his time in the Washington system, Hassell got in just 85 games this season with a disappointing .241/.319/.328 line. Once seen as the next great centerfielder for the Nationals, he's been passed on prospect lists by last year's #2 overall pick Dylan Crews, Wood, and even 2021 2nd round pick Daylen Lile.
Rule 5 eligible this offseason, Hassell's hoping that a strong AFL performance can convince the team to use a precious 40-man spot on his this winter instead of allowing another team to claim him and make him change organizations for a 2nd-time, all prior to making his MLB debut.
With Crews and Wood flanking defensive phenom Jacob Young in Washington's outfield, there's seemingly a logjam ahead of Hassell at the major league organization. The former first-rounder wasn't daunted in his first AFL action of 2024, though, picking up three hard-hit balls in his four at-bats.
If he can keep it up for the next six weeks, a 40-man roster spot might await the outfielder this winter. Could an MLB call-up be the next thing?
