Washington Nationals Have Something Special Brewing With Middle Infield Duo
The Washington Nationals took a calculated approach to this offseason, as ownership was not ready to spend big money.
It made sense to a degree since the team is coming off a second consecutive 71-win campaign. Making up that large of a gap in the standings in one winter was going to be virtually impossible, but improvements were made.
The Nationals should be more competitive in 2025 with veteran additions of first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, designated hitter Josh Bell, utilityman Amed Rosario and pitchers Trevor Williams, Mike Soroka, Jorge Lopez and Lucas Sims.
They will all help raise the floor, providing the team with a bit of a stronger foundation heading into the campaign.
How high their ceiling is will be determined by the development of their talented young players who made strides last year.
Two of the players who made the biggest impact from Opening Day through Game 162 were shortstop CJ Abrams and second baseman Luis Garcia Jr.
Both players were mentioned by Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic (subscription required) in his MLB All-Under-25 team.
Neither player was selected as a starter in the infield, but both were honorable mentions.
Of the two, Garcia was certainly most deserving of a starting nod, which Nesbitt did admit.
Had the exercise been done based solely on 2024 production heading into 2025, he would have been the pick.
Instead, the MLB writer went with the upside play, selecting Jackson Holliday of the Baltimore Orioles.
Garcia's omission from the starting lineup shouldn’t diminish what he accomplished during his breakout campaign.
Below replacement level for most of the first four seasons in the MLB, he found his groove last year, putting up career highs for his entire slash line of .282/.318/.444 with single-season bests in hits (141), doubles (25), home runs (18), RBI (70) and stolen bases (22).
Most importantly, he showed improvement defensively, which has cemented his place as the starting second baseman moving forward.
Garcia had All-Star caliber production in the first half, but it was Abrams who was the team’s representative before closer Kyle Finnegan was added as an injury replacement.
Abrams broke out as well with a career-high slash line of .246/.314/.433 and single-season highs of 29 doubles, 20 home runs and 65 RBI.
He needs to improve defensively, something he has been working tirelessly on this winter, otherwise a move to third base could be in his future.
It will be interesting to see how he responds in 2025 since his 2024 ended on a sour note, being demoted to finish out the campaign after he was caught out late at a casino before a day game.
Washington is certainly hoping that will motivate him to take his production to the next level, showing that no one on the roster is irreplaceable, even All-Star level players.
But with this duo in place, the Nationals have a solid building block in the middle of their infield, something they hope anchors them for many years going forward.
