Hassell leads Nats prospects into AFL championship game

The Arizona Fall League season wraps up tonight with the annual championship game, and members of the Nationals organization will be participating.

Thanks to a 13-4 victory over the Scottsdale Scorpions in Friday night’s semifinal, the Salt River Rafters earned the right to face the Surprise Saguaros in tonight’s championship in the desert. The Rafters roster is made up of prospects from five major league organizations: the Diamondbacks, Rockies, Twins, Yankees and Nationals.

Only one of the Nats’ top-ranked prospects is playing in the AFL this year, but Robert Hassell III has made the most of the opportunity. After another injury-plagued season in the minors, the 23-year-old outfielder has proven himself healthy and quite productive at the plate this fall.

In 22 games over the last month, Hassell batted .281 with a .360 on-base percentage and .517 slugging percentage, producing seven doubles, a triple, four homers and 19 RBIs. And then he added to those totals Saturday with two RBIs to help lead Salt River to a dominant win.

Hassell, who is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time, is likely to be added to the Nationals’ 40-man roster within the next week. He’ll come to spring training hoping to make an impression on club officials and convince them he’s finally close to big-league-ready after an up-and-down few seasons since his acquisition from the Padres in the Juan Soto blockbuster trade.

Hassell was one of four position players representing the Nats this fall. Catcher Maxwell Romero Jr. had a .393 on-base percentage and .776 OPS in 14 games. Infielder Phillip Glasser batted .270 with a .357 on-base percentage in 10 games. And third baseman Cayden Wallace (coming back from oblique and rib injuries) went 3-for-12 with a double, an RBI and two walks in limited playing time.

Five Nationals pitching prospects participated in the AFL, and one of them got the chance to start Friday night’s semifinal. Chase Solesky, a 27-year-old right-hander who joined the organization this summer after five seasons with the White Sox, tossed four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits to earn the win. He had 20 strikeouts and only one walk in 13 innings this fall prior to the semifinal assignment.

Luke Young, an 11th-round pick in 2022, posted a 3.38 ERA and 1.125 WHIP in 10 relief appearances. Dustin Saenz, a fourth-round pick in 2021, pitched in six games (three of them starts) and had a 5.52 ERA and 12 strikeouts to only four walks. Lefty Matt Cronin allowed seven earned runs on 12 hits and six walks in eight innings. Right-hander Michael Cuevas allowed eight earned runs on 18 hits and seven walks in 7 1/3 innings.