Washington Nationals' Middle Infield Duo Team's Foundation Moving Forward
As the Washington Nationals look to improve their team this offseason, they know that they have a couple of building blocks for years to come.
After winning 71 games for the second straight season, the Nationals feel like a team that is getting closer to breaking out of their rebuild.
Over the last few years, Washington has done a nice job stockpiling young talent and avoiding handing out bad contracts to put band-aids on problems.
Two of their young players really had their breakout season in 2024, as the middle of the infield looks set for years to come for the Nationals. CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. Both players had excellent campaigns last year, and should only continue to get better.
Recently, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports highlighted what Washington was looking like as of now heading into 2025. He highlighted the middle of the infield as one of the greatest strengths of the franchise.
He wrote that the Nationals are fully committed to both, especially with Abrams coming off an All-Star season.
“But the team remains fully committed to (Abrams), of that there appears to be no doubt. They’re also fully committed to Luis Garcia Jr., who after a spring full of tough love finally blossomed into the second baseman they always believed him to be. Garcia was the most pleasant development of the 2024 season, and the expectation will be for more of the same, if not even more improvement from him in 2025.”
There is a lot to like about the middle of the infield for the Nationals, and it is an important area for a team.
For Abrams, he had a good but interesting season in 2024. The talented shortstop had a breakout season in the first half, as he was named to his first All-Star team, and looked like he was on his way to stardom. However, he really struggled in the second half of the campaign, as it was a tale of two seasons for him.
Garcia really took a big step forward in 2024, as he totaled a .282 batting average, 18 home runs, 70 RBIs, and 25 doubles. Overall, Garcia had arguably a better season than Abrams due to some of his struggles in the second half of the year.
It isn't just the middle infield, of course. The outfield features three rising stars in James Wood, Jacob Young and Dylan Crews, the last of which was their first-round pick in 2023. Keibert Ruiz, part of the payoff from the Max Scherzer trade, is behind the plate. The rotation features two quality young arms in MacKenzie Gore and D.J. Herz. And the Nats may add to the core if they can sight a veteran hitter or two.
But, as the Nationals look to continue to improve, the middle of the infield has become the foundation of their rebuild. With young talent in the outfield coming up next, the combination of Garcia and Abrams is leading the way.
