Nationals Improved Slugging is Encouraging, Lineup Still Not Firing on All Cylinders
It hasn’t been an ideal start to the season for the Washington Nationals, but there are still reasons to be optimistic about the outlook for the team.
Coming into the campaign, the Nationals realistically weren’t going to be a playoff contender in the National League East.
Due to the competition in the division being stiff and the state of the franchise, 2025 is going to be all about player development and evaluation.
However, the franchise certainly wants to see some increases in the win column after recording just 71 wins in each of the past two seasons.
So far, while the record doesn’t currently indicate improvement, there have been some bright spots for the team.
On Opening Day, MacKenzie Gore put together one of the best starts of his career. The southpaw totaled 13 strikeouts in six innings, while not allowing a run. His development into potentially the ace of the staff is crucial for the success of Washington not only in 2025, but for years to come.
While it was great to see the performance of their left-hander, one of the focuses for the team this winter was to improve their slugging.
In 2024, the Nationals were in bad company with the Chicago White Sox at the bottom of the league in home runs. Washington just narrowly edged out arguably the worst team of all-time in this category by two home runs.
This winter, additions like Josh Bell, Nathaniel Lowe, Amed Rosario, and Paul DeJong created some hope that they will be much better in 2025, especially with the growth of some of their young talent.
So far, things are off to a good start in that category. Through four games, the Nationals have totaled eight home runs, which is fifth best in the Majors.
Currently, Lowe and catcher Keibert Ruiz are tied for the team lead with two. Seeing Ruiz with two long balls already is a great sign as well. The young catcher didn’t have a great 2024 campaign, and the team is hoping for a bounce-back season.
Now, while the team has been hitting the ball out of the ballpark finally, the home runs haven’t come in a timely manner.
Good news: The Nationals have hit 8 homers in 4 games (5th most in MLB)
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) April 1, 2025
Bad news: They're batting .121 (4-for-33) with RISP (5th worst in MLB)
Washington currently ranks below league average early on in runs scored, and their batting average with runners in scoring position is a major factor in that.
Overall, the early signs are encouraging that this is going to be a better offense in 2025. While it is still very early, improved slugging was a goal of the franchise coming into the year, and so far so good.
