Washington Nationals Slugger Named ‘One-Year-Wonder’ With Short-Lived Production

A recent Washington Nationals first baseman was a flash in the pan producer for the franchise.

Jul 4, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Joey Meneses (45) hits the ball into play against the New York Mets during the fourth inning at Nationals Park. / Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals have received some incredible performances from unheralded players during the 2024 season.

Will these players be able to sustain and build off of this level of success in the future? The franchise certainly hopes so, as the future is bright in Washington despite missing the postseason for a fifth consecutive year.

Of course, not everyone is capable of keeping up production. As fast as some players burst onto the scene in the Major Leagues they flame out and are back functioning as organizational depth in the minor leagues.

That is what happened with first baseman Joey Maneses. 

During the 2022 campaign, he came out of nowhere, turning into a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat for the Nationals. In 240 plate appearances, he hit 13 home runs with a .324/.367/.563 slash line.

He made the most of what was a lost season for the franchise. In what ended up being a 55-107 team, Maneses was given a chance to shine after the white flag was officially waived following the trade of Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres.

In his debut, he launched a home run and was one of the best hitters in the National League down the stretch. His wRC+ was fourth among NL hitters, finishing with a higher number than Soto did.

Momentum was carried by Maneses into the World Baseball Classic the following year. He was one of the stars of Mexico, going 10-of-27 with two home runs in six appearances.

Unfortunately, his rapid ascension was quickly followed by a descension which was just as rapid. That is why Zachary R. Rymer of Bleacher Report selected Maneses as the biggest one-hit-wonder for Washington in recent history.

“Yet the notion of Meneses continuing to keep the good times rolling was always far-fetched. He was already 30 when the Nationals called him up, and thus would be easy to push aside if his bat ever went cool.

That's what happened in 2023, and the early months of this year did not result in a warm-up. Meneses got sent back to the minors in July after posting just a .593 OPS in 76 games,” wrote Rymer.

First base is a position of need for the Nationals moving forward. Veteran Joey Gallo received a good chunk of playing time there this season along with Maneses and production was underwhelming combined.