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.
