Washington Nationals Rising Star Named to ‘All-Awardless’ Team
The Washington Nationals are a team on the rise. With a crop of young talent that has already made it to the Majors, there are many reasons why MLB experts believe the team is enticing to free agents and trade targets alike.
But, it was a relatively award-less season for the Nationals. Not a single Washington player earned any of the league’s officially-sanctioned season-ending or postseason awards.
One MLB.com writer noticed. Recently, Anthony Castrovince put together his “All-Awardless team. He picked the best player at each position that didn’t win an award this season.
One Nationals player made the list — second baseman Luis Garcia Jr.
The left-handed hitting 24-year-old was playing his second Major League season in which he appeared in more than 100 games (he played a career-high 140).
Garcia finished with a slash line of .282/.318/.444/.762, all of which were career highs.
He also set career highs in doubles (25), home runs (18) and RBI (70). He also matched his career high for walks (27).
The son of onetime Tigers infielder Luis García saw his slugging jump 59 points in 2024 and, in Castrovince’s opinion, “…proved himself a legit building block” as the Nationals attempt to snap a streak of five straight losing seasons since they won the 2019 World Series.
Garcia made his MLB debut in 2020.
Washington signed him for a $1.3 million signing bonus in 2016 out of the Dominican Republic. Even though he was born in New York and has U.S. citizenship, he moved to the D.R. when he was three and was considered an international free agent.
He was already on a fast-track to the Majors when he was considered the Nationals’ No. 7 prospect before the 2017 season. He earned an invitation to the All-Star Futures Game in 2018 and was the youngest player invited to participate in a Major League spring training camp in 2019.
He is also the first Major League player born in the 2000s to hit a home run, doing so during his rookie season in 2020.
The writer only considered players who didn’t win any of the following awards: the BBWAA Awards (MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year), All-MLB Team, Hank Aaron awards, Roberto Clemente award, Gold Glove awards, Silver Slugger awards, LCS and World Series MVP awards, Outstanding Designated Hitter award, Comeback Players of the Year, Relievers of the Year and the Players Choice Awards (Player of the Year, Outstanding Player, Outstanding
