Washington Nationals Star Prospect Impresses in First Week of Arizona Fall League
Prior to the offseason really getting underway, the Washington Nationals have a chance to see some of their top prospects compete in the Arizona Fall League.
The headliners from the group of eight the Nationals sent to this event are third baseman Cayden Wallace and outfielder Robert Hassell III, both players who were brought in via trades at some point.
Ranked No. 11 in their pipeline, Wallace was acquired from the Kansas City Royals this year in a deal that shipped out Hunter Harvey. After suffering injuries that limited him to 15 games during his first stint with the organization, this time in the AFL will help him get some action in before Spring Training.
As for Hassell, this is his third time competing in the Arizona Fall League for Washington after he was a key piece of the Juan Soto deal, but this time, he's looking to remind everyone how talented he is after he's no longer considered one of their elite prospects.
Currently ranked 13th, the 23-year-old was second behind only James Wood just last season.
Injuries have played a role in his favorability dropping. He was limited to 85 games in 2024 where he struggled when promoted to the Triple-A level, but that could change with a good showing in the AFL.
During the first week, that's exactly he did.
Hassell was named a standout by Joe Trezza of MLB.com for going 7-for-13 with a homer, seven RBI and a steal.
"Hassell did a little bit of everything last week: He hit for average, he flashed some power, he stole a base. His seven RBIs ranked second in the first week of the Fall League," he wrote.
That's a great sign for the young player looking to make a name for himself within the organization.
Going forward, it will be interesting to see how the Nationals view him since their outfield looks set with James Wood and Dylan Crews at the corners, and Gold Glove-caliber center fielder Jacob Young holding things down up the middle.
Maybe Hassell turns into the fourth outfielder and sets up a platoon situation with Young since he's a left-handed hitter, or maybe he performs so well that Washington uses him as a trade chip this winter to bring in another impact player to their areas of need.
Either way, the former top prospect has gotten off to a hot start in the Arizona Fall League that is a great sign for the direction of his career.
