The Nationals have a glut of outfielders who are currently in the major leagues, such as James Wood, Dylan Crews, and Jacob Young, and more that will be arriving soon, such as Christian Franklin and Andrew
Pinckney. James Wood is locked into left field for the Nats, as he is the club’s brightest young star and a serviceable defender out in left as well. Dylan Crews is also for sure locked into one of the 2 remaining outfield spots, depending on the choice of Blake Butera and his staff. If Crews is to play centerfield, Robert Hassell III seems likely to take the majority of the right field playing time, and if Crews plays right, Jacob Young is the most likely candidate to take the bulk of the time in center.
One young outfielder whose future at the big league level is unclear is Christian Franklin, the 25-year-old outfielder acquired from the Cubs for Mike Soroka at the trade deadline. A 4th round pick out of Arkansas, where he posted a 132 wRC+ in his junior season, Franklin’s path to the bigs was set back at the start of his career when he tore his patella tendon in his knee in 2022, causing him to miss the entire season. Since then, however, all he has done is hit, and it has him knocking on the doors of the major leagues.
In 117 games at Triple-A last season, 86 with the Cubs and 31 with the Nats, Franklin posted a 118 wRC+, hit 12 home runs, and posted a .390 on-base percentage. He also stole 19 bases in 2025, getting caught 9 times but at least showing a willingness to be aggressive with his speed. The most exciting part of Franklin’s game, in my opinion, is the power potential he still has to tap into, as although he had a .427 slugging percentage in 2025, there is room for so much more.
When it comes to consistent hard contact, there weren’t many better than Franklin at the Triple-A level in 2025. His average exit velocity of 91 MPH ranked in the 84th percentile, his 50th percentile exit velocity (which cuts out weak contact, such as dribblers and pop-ups, to help us better understand a player’s power potential) of 94.3 MPH was in the 90th percentile, and his max exit velocity of 112.9 MPH ranked in the 92nd percentile. The reason this elite batted ball profile hasn’t turned into game power quite yet is that Franklin hits too many ground balls, about 45% of the time, and he’s not pulling enough of the fly balls he does hit, just 11.8% of the time. The good news is Franklin has already made big strides in cutting down his ground ball rate with the Nats, dropping it about 5% as compared to his Cubs tenure.
Frankin also displays some impressive plate discipline for a player with as strong a batted ball profile as his. His walk rate of 15% ranked in the 84th percentile among Triple-A hitters, and it’s due to his strong bat-to-ball skills, ranking in the 61st percentile in whiff rate, and elite eye, ranking in the 92nd percentile in chase rate. Hitters that can spit on chase pitches and do damage on balls in the zone are dangerous, especially when they possess the power potential that Franklin does. One of the few holes you could poke in Franklin’s game is that he perhaps does not swing enough, ranking in the 53rd percentile in in-zone swing percentage. Trading some swing and miss for more explosive contact could be beneficial for Franklin’s game in the long run.
Defensively, Franklin could play a solid center field, but he likely is better suited for a corner outfield spot. He spent the majority of his time in Rochester alternating between left and right field, boosting his versatility for when he does get his shot in the bigs. While left field is locked down by James Wood for the time being, being able to step in for him on his days off or when he needs to DH helps create more flexibility in roster management for Blake Butera, and boosts Franklin’s odds of making the team and staying on it.
So, where does Franklin fit into the outfield picture for the Nats in 2026? The answer all depends on how the new Nationals front office and coaching staff value Jacob Young and Robert Hassell III, as well as their evaluation of Frankin himself. To me, it would be asinine to run Jacob Young back out again as the starting center fielder until his bat makes serious strides, although I love the value he could bring as a 4th outfielder to the club. Hassell had short bursts of greatness in his rookie campaign, but overall, he did not show enough for me to want him to start the 2026 season in the big leagues.
That leaves us with Franklin, who will be 26 when the 2026 campaign begins, and has shown about all there is to see in the minor leagues. If it were up to me, Franklin would be starting in right field on Opening Day for the Nationals, as I believe his strengths will translate just fine to the big league level, and his weaknesses are issues that a major league coaching staff can iron out. Franklin in right field also allows Dylan Crews to patrol center field for the Nats, where his value is maximized. Spring Training will be a critical time for Franklin to show the new Nationals coaching staff that he is ready to take over outfield duties for them in the 2026 campaign.
