Thursday was a glimpse of things to come in the future for the Washington Nationals as they scrapped their way back in a 9-8 walk-off spring training win against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday afternoon. Trailing 8-6 in the bottom of the ninth top prospect James Wood (ITD no. 9) hit his fourth homer of the spring tying the game with an opposite-field blast. It was quickly followed up by an Alex Call single and pinch-hit walk-off single for the top prospect Dylan Crews (ITD no. 5). The scheduled contest yesterday against the Houston Astros was cancelled due to inclement weather.
Yesterday, the Nationals moved a step closer to finalizing their Opening Day roster, cutting nine players from big league camp, including top prospects James Wood, Dylan Crews and Brady House. The Nationals have also unconditionally released RHP Zach Davies. The following players have been reassigned to minor league camp.
- LHP Richard Bleier reassigned to minor league camp
- LHP Joe La Sorsa reassigned to minor league camp
- 3B Brady House (ITD no. 41) reassigned to minor league camp
- 1B Juan Yepez reassigned to minor league camp
- OF Dylan Crews (ITD no. 5) reassigned to minor league camp
- OF Robert Hassell III (ITD’s no. 6 Nationals Prospect) reassigned to minor league camp
- OF James Wood (ITD no. 9) reassigned to minor league camp
- C Israel Pineda reassigned to minor league camp
Notable Nationals Roster Moves
James Wood
James Wood certainly impressed this spring putting up monster power numbers and plate discipline that some questioned coming into this season. In 21 Grapefruit League games, he slashed an impressive .342/.491/.707 with a team-high four homers. The decision to send Wood to the minors is not a surprise but he did make a case to make the Opening Day roster. He is more than likely going to begin getting reps in Triple-A Rochester this season. The 21-year-old outfielder figures to be in line to make his major league debut sometime this season, barring he stays healthy and continues to perform on the field.
Dylan Crews
The No. 2 overall pick selected in last year’s MLB Draft got out of the gates slow but started to find his footing seeing more and more pitching. Crews finishing with a .161/.297/.323 slash line in 19 games highlighted by the walk-off single in Thursday’s contest. The organization has not announced minor league rosters yet, but it is expected that Crews will begin playing with Double-A Harrisburg where he finished the 2023 season. He will have a chance to join the big league roster at some point this year but knowing how Rizzo tends to roll with the top farm prospects they will take their time. The best estimate would be for him to be called up late this Summer.
Robert Hassell III
Robert Hassell III enjoyed a strong spring slashing .357/.412/.786 in only 12 games before suffering a minor groin injury that will sideline him until early April. During the 12 games he hit two home runs in his first three games, last season he only had hit nine in 467 ABs between Fredericksburg and Harrisburg. The other noticeable attribute this spring for him worth noting is the opposite field power that he displayed. Hassell spent some of his offseason playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League (.290/.366/.348). From Scottsdale to West Palm Beach, Hassell brought the needed reps with to the Grapefruit League. Spending the majority of last season in Harrisburg, he has the chance to begin the season with Triple-A Rochester with the potential to make his big league debut later this year.
