West Palm Beach, Florida

Vibes are up at the Nats’ facility in West Palm Beach. With a 5-5 record as of the second of March, there are a few key standouts. One of these is a recipient of the Juan Soto trade, Robert Hassell III. Nicknamed “Bobby Barrels” for his consistent contact at the plate, the eighth overall selection in the 2020 draft is hitting a scorching .421 batting average, along with a 1.169 On Base plus Slugging (OPS). He has also recorded a two-run home run on February 25th, his only homer to this point. In total, he has driven in five runs while also stealing a base. Along with his impressive performance offensively, he has had some slick web gems in the field as well, including this sliding snag in center field off the bat of Juan Soto. Overall, Hassell is destined to be a player to watch in the minor leagues if he is deferred.

Another player that has been improving is Brady House. House, a 22 year old infielder, has been a player I have been keeping my eye on and advocating for a couple of years now. His solid hitting ability combined with his above average glove has always proved to me that with the right training, he could be what the Nationals need at third base going forward. House is hitting .333 with one run driven in, two walks, and only one strike out in 11 at bats so far. With the clog up of mid tier players and developing youngsters at the hot corner such as veteran Paul DeJong and the young and rejuvenated kids in Trey Lipscomb and Jose Tena, I believe House should be in the mix of that position group moving forward.

The last player I will mention in this article is OF Dylan Crews. Crews is having an outstanding spring training, hitting for an average of .462 with a triple, three runs driven in, two stolen bases and two walks. While the #2 overall pick in 2022 out of LSU hasn’t been hitting for power as much as Hassell, his improvement to his ability to make consistent and solid contact is an improvement heading into his first full MLB season.