Robert Hassell III Could Be Playing His Way Into Substantial Role With Nationals
In this story:
When Robert Hassell III made his MLB debut on May 22 last year, that was a huge moment for the Washington Nationals since that meant everyone in the return of the storied Juan Soto trade had made it to the bigs besides star prospect Jarlin Susana.
Unfortunately, it was not a good showing for Hassell in the majors, as he slashed just .223/.257/.315 with only three home runs, 18 RBIs and 62 strikeouts compared to eight walks across 197 at-bats in 70 games last season.
The good news for Hassell is that he's still young and has upside. While he might never live up to the hype as the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 draft who became ranked No. 1 in the San Diego Padres' pipeline, that doesn't mean he can't be effective for the Nationals. And a strong showing during spring training could prove to this new regime that he can become that type of player he was billed as being.
Strong Spring Could Carve Out Substantial Role for Robert Hassell III
Well, so far so good on that front. Hassell has gone 5-for-14 across his six games for a .357 batting average. While it appears he still hasn't unlocked his power potential since his lone extra-base hit has been a double, he's only struck out three times and has drawn a walk.
His performance thus far should be catching the attention of the coaching staff and front office, as this offensive surge could give him more reps in center field early on during the upcoming 2026 campaign since the offensive profile of Jacob Young is one that is below average.
Washington seems to be hoping that Dylan Crews will eventually figure things out with the bat in his hands. If he does, that would likely make him the starter in center with Young being moved into the fourth outfielder role. But with Crews floundering early on during the spring and Hassell performing well, the team might be forced to change their thinking.
Hassell Has to Start Showing Some Pop
What would go a long way for the 24-year-old would be to find some power in his bat. That has been a struggle throughout his professional career, as the maximum number of home runs he's hit in a season is 11 back in 2021 and 2022. He did reach double-digits for the first time since then last year when he hit 10 across 76 games with Triple-A Rochester, so there's some hope he could be figuring things out.
But no one is really expecting him to become a Pete Crow-Armstrong or Julio Rodriguez-type of player in center field with the potential to hit 30-plus longballs. Still, Hassell has to start hitting more balls over the fence and for extra bases.
The more MLB reps he gets the better chance he has of achieving that. But it will be up to him to earn those opportunities since the Nationals already have a stacked outfield unit. The good thing for him is that he's performed well so far this spring and could be playing his way into more time on the field.
Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai