Looking at Nats' fourth outfielder options

The Nationals’ projected Opening Day outfield has long been set. Barring some unforeseen development, James Wood and Dylan Crews will man the corners, with Gold Glove Award finalist Jacob Young in center field.

That’s the same outfield the Nats used throughout the final month-plus of the season, from the moment they promoted Crews from Triple-A Rochester to make his major league debut. And none of the three got much time off down the stretch. Aside from a handful of Joey Gallo appearances in right field, the starting trio all played together every night through season’s end.

There’s not much reason to believe that will change heading into the coming season. Wood and Crews, obviously, are two of the top prospects in baseball. Aside from an occasional day off here and there, they’re going to be in the lineup all the time. The same is probably true for Young, provided he produces enough offense to go along with his stellar defensive work.

Which brings us to today’s question: Who’s going to be the fourth outfielder, and do the Nationals need to devote much time and energy to answering that question?

At the moment, there are three other full-time outfielders on the club’s 40-man roster: Alex Call, Stone Garrett and Robert Hassell III. Infielders Amed Rosario, Darren Baker and perhaps Josh Bell could also play the outfield in a pinch, though none would figure to see regular playing time out there.

Is that enough depth to convince the Nats to stick with what they have, or is there any chance they’d still look elsewhere for a more accomplished backup outfielder?

They certainly could afford to sign another guy if they want. It’s not a high-salary position. But would that be worth it, especially if the three starters rarely need a break?

If they stick with what they have, Call would probably enter spring training with the leg up for the job. The 30-year-old is a known quantity at this point, with 205 games of big league experience under his belt, a slash line of .231/.332/.364, 26 doubles, 16 homers, 65 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. He works long at-bats, takes a good number of walks, hits for some occasional power and covers decent ground in the outfield.

Call actually put together the best stretch of his career last summer when he was summoned from Rochester to serve as the bridge in right field after Lane Thomas was traded to Cleveland and before Crews was called up from Triple-A. In 30 games, he slashed a stout .343/.425/.525 with 12 extra-base hits, playing out of his mind. Then he injured his foot trying to make a play in right field and spent the season’s final five weeks on the 10-day IL while Crews got all the playing time.

Could Call’s fantastic month have been a sign of production still to come, or was that a true outlier? The rest of his resume would suggest the latter, but he probably deserves some opportunity to prove it could’ve been the former.

There was a time late in the 2023 season when it appeared Garrett was going to be a part of the long-term plan here. Then he broke his leg and tore his ankle ligaments in a gruesome injury at Yankee Stadium, disrupting his entire playing career.

Garrett’s return to D.C. in late September was inspiring, to say the least. And his homer off the first big league pitch he had seen since suffering the injury 13 months earlier was the stuff of legends. But there are still massive questions about his physical ability to play baseball every day for six months, let alone what kind of production he’d provide at the plate or in the field. He could overcome the odds and complete a remarkable story, but the Nationals simply can’t assume that will be the case.

Hassell, meanwhile, presents the most intriguing long-term possibilities, a top prospect not long ago whose arrival has been delayed by hand/wrist injuries and a lack of top production at the higher levels of the minors.

But he’s still only 23, with only 17 games of Triple-A experience on his resume. The Nationals added him to the 40-man roster this winter, so he’ll be in big league camp and have to use up an option if he opens the season in Rochester. They’ll most likely want to see him thrive as an everyday player at Triple-A first, but if something happens to one of the three regulars in D.C., it will be interesting to see if he gets the long-awaited call.