It has been another season of progress for the Washington Nationals, a team that unexpectedly went into rebuild mode after winning the first World Series championship in franchise history just six years ago.
The organization has put together an elite young core of talent in that time through strong drafting and by trading away MLB talent to contending teams.
Now that core is starting to come together.
Both James Wood and CJ Abrams have taken massive steps forward in their development at the plate this year, while MacKenzie Gore has become one of the best strikeout artists in the game.
What those three players have in common is that they all came to the Nationals as part of the return for the blockbuster trade that saw Juan Soto go to the San Diego Padres in 2023.
There was another piece in that return, however, and he has now been called up for his Major League debut on Wednesday.
Robert Hassell III, 23, was drafted by the Padres with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft out of Independence High School in Thompson’s Station, Tenn.
He tore through the lower levels of the minors before struggling last year upon reaching Triple-A for the first time.
This season, Hassell has turned things around at the plate. He has batted .288/.337/.405 for the Harrisburg Senators across 175 plate appearances in 43 games. The outfielder has four home runs, just one shy of his total from all of 2024, but power is not a big part of his game.
Hassell can man any of the outfield positions, but has spent most of his time as a professional in center field.
He is the quintessential center fielder who does damage by putting the ball in play, going gap-to-gap and making the opposition pay with his speed.
With Dylan Crews set to miss some time, though, it is likely that Hassell will slot into right field.
Hassell’s arm, along with his speed, is suitable for any of the outfield positions, and he has four outfield assists in just 61 career games in right.
He is an exciting prospect, and pairing his speed with the power of Wood and Abrams could be a lethal combination for many years to come.
