Washington Nationals Greatly Exceeding Preseason Expectations
With the season coming to a close for the Washington Nationals, 2024 has certainly been a step in the right direction.
After just recently being officially eliminated from playoff contention this season, the Nationals took a big step forward in their rebuild. It has been a tough three-year stretch in Washington with a lot of losing.
Despite a lot of losing, the Nationals have stuck with their rebuilding plan, and it is starting to pay dividends now. This year, we have seen the emergence of a very good middle of the infield combination in C.J. Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. Abrams was selected to his first All-Star Game this season, as one of the prized pieces of the Juan Soto trade is paying off.
In the outfield, Washington is ending the season with James Wood, Jacoby Young, and Dylan Crews, as this will likely be the starting unit for next season.
Recently, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report went back to compare what the Nationals have done this season to their preseason expectations from Baseball Prospectus, which used PECOTA, their projection system.
The results for Washington were much better than expected from their projections to start the season, as they are now projected to a 15-win differential. Reuter highlighted some of the bright spots for the team, resulting in the massive win differential.
“The young middle infield tandem of CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. has produced a combined 5.3 WAR, top prospect James Wood has made an immediate impact and unheralded rookie Jacob Young has emerged as a Gold Glove contender in center field. On the pitching side, MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker have chewed up innings at a league-average rate, while DJ Herz has flashed promising upside. They still have a long way to go, but there are some legitimate pieces to build around.”
While the lineup for Washington is looking really solid for the future, the pitching staff still has some work to do in their development. With Patrick Corbin coming off the books this season, adding a top-end of the rotation guy could be a big help if the Nationals are looking to try and contend next season.
Washington hasn’t been afraid to spend money in the past, and with their young prospects maturing and coming to the majors, the time to spend might be coming up soon.
While the Nationals might not have made the playoffs once again this season, this year has been a big step in the right direction for the franchise. If they spend some money this offseason to fill a few holes, the conversation next September could be about Washington fighting for a playoff spot.
