Washington Nationals Confident Their Glove-First Outfielder Will Improve Hitting
Washington Nationals fans got a glimpse at what their outfield of the future might look like after they called up Dylan Crews to join Jacob Young and James Wood.
All three players got their first extended action in the bigs, with Young having the most experience after playing in 33 games last year and being on the Major League roster since April 4 of this campaign.
Wood was the organization's top prospect when the season started, but once he was promoted in July, that designation shifted to Crews, who later joined his fellow youngsters in The Show on Aug. 26.
Barring the Nationals making a splash by reuniting with Juan Soto, this trio is going to be the outfielders on this roster for years to come.
Ideally for Washington, this group turns into one of the best units in baseball, putting up gaudy numbers at the plate while also playing excellent defense that runs away while they're in the field.
Based on Young's defensive ability that already has him in Gold Glove contention following just one full season in the MLB, that could be achievable, but it's what he does at the plate that will have a long-term impact on how he's used going forward.
The 25-year-old former seventh-round pick slashed .256/.316/.331 with three homers, 28 extra-base hits, 36 RBI, and an OPS+ and wRC+ that were 14 and 15 points below the league average respectively.
There are concerns about the viability of him as an everyday guy based on his offensive output, even when factoring the elite defense that saw him finish with a defensive bWAR of 1.6 this season.
However, manager Dave Martinez is confident that Young will eventually find some success at the plate.
"Jacob Young, I mean, what he's done this year was really, really, really good. I mean, I say this every day, every time I see him, the guy is a Gold Glover. And his hitting is going to get a lot better ...," he said per Patrick Reddington of Federal Baseball.
Hopefully that's the case.
The skipper didn't offer a reason to why he thinks that when making his blanket statement, but there is some underlying rationale when taking into account Young only played in seven Triple-A games before earning his full-time promotion.
He didn't face a ton of high-end pitching coming through the pipeline, so it's going to take some time for him to figure out what works and what doesn't against the elite pitchers in Major League Baseball.
Young's .256 batting average this past season is at least some sign he can put the ball in play and get on base, so if the Nationals can continue working with him regarding his offensive game, then perhaps there is an untapped upside like Martinez is suggesting.
