Washington Nationals Land Two High-Ranking Prospects in Arizona Fall League
The Washington Nationals’ burgeoning farm system will send a pair of Top 30 prospects to the Arizona Fall League, which starts next month.
Third baseman Cayden Wallace (No. 11) and outfielder Robert Hassell III (No. 13) are the two Top 30 prospects, as ranked by MLB Pipeline.
The other Nationals prospects headed to the AFL are left-handed pitchers Matt Cronin and Dustin Saenz, right-handed pitchers Michael Cuevas, Chase Solesky and Luke Young, along with catcher Maxwell Romero Jr.
Wallace is in need of playing time after missing part of the season due to rib and oblique injuries. He joined the Nats in July in the deal that sent Hunter Harvey to the Kansas City Royals.
In just 56 games he finished with a slash line of .256/.329/.354/.683 with three home runs and 23 RBI. He’s a former second-round pick who projects as a third baseman, which puts him in direct competition with their No. 2 prospect, Brady House, who is nearly Major League-ready.
Hassell was one of several players that the Nats received for Juan Soto in 2022, but his development has been stunted by hand and wrist injuries. In 85 games this season he finished with a slash line of .241/.319/.328/.647 with five home runs and 28 RBI. This was his fourth minor-league season after he was the Padres’ first-round pick in 2020.
He’s a rare prospect, as he’ll be playing in the AFL for the third straight offseason.
Washington will play with the Salt River Rafters in Scottsdale, Ariz.. The Nationals prospects will play alongside prospects from the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies, the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees.
The other five teams in the AFL play in Glendale, Mesa, Peoria, Scottsdale and Surprise.
AFL action starts on Oct. 7 and since it was founded in 1992 more than 3,000 players have participated and moved on to the Majors at some point.
During the season, there are several special events, including a tripleheader at Goodyear Ballpark on Oct. 19, a game at Grand Canyon University on Oct. 25 and a doubleheader at American Family Fields of Phoenix on Oct. 26.
The Fall Stars game is set for Nov. 9 at Sloan Park, with the annual home run derby set for Nov. 8.
When the season concludes on Nov. 14, there will be a play-in semifinal game between the second- and third-place finishers in the standings on Nov. 15 at Scottsdale Stadium. The championship game is held the next day at Salt River Fields.
