You truly have to love that headline, right? When the Juan Soto trade with the San Diego Padres was announced, outfielder Robert Hassell III was perhaps the most certain player coming to the Nationals to become a core contributor. And remember, that was a group of players that included CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, James Wood and Jarlin Susana.
Instead, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft has faced his share of adversity, from injuries to tough hitters' parks like FNB Field in Harrisburg, and it's led to him becoming overshadowed by other prospects. Fellow outfielders like Wood and Dylan Crews have been met with plenty of fanfare; Travis Sykora and Susana are ascending, flamethrowing starting pitchers; and numerous other players have leapfrogged Hassell in consensus prospect rankings.
And yet it's "Bobby Barrels" who is making his presence felt as much as anyone during the early stages of Major League Spring Training. In his first nine plate appearances, the 23-year-old left-handed outfielder has four hits, including two doubles and an impressive - and rare - pull side home run in Tuesday's outing.
Robert Hassell III - Washington Nationals (1)* pic.twitter.com/5aAdxCIpYC
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) February 25, 2025
Alright, perhaps that last line was a bit of an exaggeration. Hassell is known to an primarily an opposite-field hitter, but it's not as if he can't pull the baseball with authority at times. But still, it's nice to see him do something he isn't as well known for on a (relatively) big stage.
To that end, breakout performances during Spring Training aren't new to Hassell. He did roughly the same thing in an injury-shortened cameo last spring, outshining Crews and essentially matching Wood (who made a strong push to crack the Opening Day roster) blow-for-blow.
So, what gives? Why hasn't Hassell matched this output in the upper-minor leagues? It took effectively a full season in Double-A before he proved to be better than a .220s hitter with minimal power at that level, and even after finding his old self in 2024, he scuffled mightily in his cup of coffee in Triple-A.
In case you're new here, Hassell was forced to undergo surgery on his hamate bone in his right wrist a little over two years ago. This injury impacted him during the 2022 season, and almost certainly derailed him in 2023 before he ever left the station. As someone who saw him play in person during that season, i can attest that he looked uncomfortable and frustrated - he earned himself an ejection in one of the two games I watched while in Harrisburg.
Hassell's 2024 campaign in Harrisburg, albeit still not without an injury disruption, was significantly better, as his batting average rose to .271 with an on-base percentage of .357 in 60 games. His power production was still lacking, but that will likely never be a "plus" skill for him. The important thing is that he showed much more consistency at the plate, to go along with his more-than-respectable speed on the bases and defensive ability at all three outfield spots.
The @Nationals' Robert Hassell III flashing the leather! pic.twitter.com/aHQmAg74Sq
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) February 23, 2025
As an aside, considering how he was featured in spotlight games at a young age, it wouldn't surprise me if Hassell craves and is at his best under the spotlight. That may also help to explain his eye-catching performances the last two springs.
Now that Hassell has spent four seasons in the minor leagues, the Nationals had to add him to the 40-man roster in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. While that doesn't sound particularly inspiring, it's important to keep in mind that in order to add a non-rostered minor leaguer to the major league active roster, someone has to be removed from the 40-man. Now that this is already taken care of, it's much easier to justify promoting Hassell in a pinch if needed.
To be clear, that's likely all it would be - at least initially. Considering how lefty-dominant Washington's projected lineup is, they should be expected to favor right-handed hitters to fill out their bench. And yes, that also means I'm dismissing the idea of the team benching center fielder Jacob Young, who was a Gold Glove finalist last year.
As it stands, Alex Call (a relative veteran who is having a strong start in his own right) appears to be a pretty clear frontrunner for the top - and potentially only - backup outfield position. After all, infielders like Amed Rosario and Juan Yepez (if they make the roster themselves) offer some versatility and could perhaps suit up in the outfield in a pinch.
That doesn't mean the equation can't change as the season progresses, or if Hassell's stellar performance continues - although if the latter were the case, the Nationals would likely still send him to Triple-A in order to get everyday play time.
In either case, barring a massive falloff during the next month, we probably shouldn't expect Hassell to stay in the minors for too long. It's very possible that if one of Washington's top outfielders (or perhaps either of Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Bell) suffers an injury early, Hassell could be their replacement. He'll need a better showing in Rochester than he had at the tail end of last year, but I'd expect him to do just that.
Put me in the camp of expecting a resurgence from Hassell for an extended period this spring! Do you agree? Let me know what you think @stephen_newman1 on X.