While the Washington Nationals have plenty of options in the outfield, the quality has not necessarily been there. Center field has become particularly problematic, with Robert Hassell III and Jacob Young really struggling with the bat. However, there is one more young outfielder in the mix who deserves a chance and his name is Christian Franklin.
Franklin came to the Nats in the Michael Soroka trade and has been productive since. The 25 year old has a .296 average and an .840 OPS since the trade.
Given his age and production, the Nationals should definitely give him a shot to see what they have.
Another benefit of the move is it would allow Dylan Crews to play center field. The fact that the Nats have not been giving Crews any looks in his natural position is quite baffling. On the rare occasions we saw him play there, Crews looked like a natural. However, the Nats have decided to shoehorn Crews in right field in favor of Jacob Young and Robert Hassell.
While Franklin can play center, he is better in a corner. That is actually a good thing for the Nats. It means they can move their prized asset back to his natural position. The end of this season should be all about seeing what you have in players. With that in mind, Franklin needs to be given a shot.
Young and Hassell have been given plenty of opportunities and neither have delivered. While Young is a great defender, he gives all of that value away with his poor bat. He is a contact hitter who is hitting .230, which really tells you all you need to know.
Somehow Hassell has managed to be even worse at the plate. His .569 OPS is worse than Young’s .580 mark. While Hassell was a big name in the Juan Soto trade, it is important to understand that he was not a top prospect anymore when he got called up.
He got exposed pretty badly in the upper minors in the past couple years. It showed that evaluators were too high on his hit tool. Bobby Barrels was known for his pure hitting ability as a younger prospect, but there turned out to be more swing and miss in his game than anticipated.
While he improved on that in AAA, it has been exposed in the big leagues. Hassell is striking out 27.8% of the time while walking just 4.2% of the time. For a guy without big time power, those numbers are not going to cut it.
That is why I want to see Franklin. His profile is actually quite well rounded. He hits the ball hard and takes his walks. While he hits the ball on the ground too much, he makes a good amount of contact.
At 25, this is not a youngster either. Now is the time for him to prove that he is a valuable big leaguer. He might struggle, but I also think there is a chance he can hit the ground running. Franklin has the tools to be at least a solid piece in the outfield as a platoon. He is hitting .330 against left handed pitching, which is something the Nats really need.
The rest of this season should be all about finding guys for the future. You are not doing a good job of that if Christian Franklin is not getting run at the MLB level. I also love that he could facilitate Dylan Crews’ move to center field, which is something that needs to happen anyway.
The Nationals are not getting enough production from Robert Hassell and Jacob Young. With Christian Franklin waiting in the wings, why not pull the trigger and give him a shot. There are real positive indicators with this player and that is why the front office targeted him. What is the point of burying him in Triple-A when guys at the MLB level are not producing.
