Washington Nationals Star Rookie Predicted to Lose His Starting Spot
Coming into the year, there wasn't a lot of hope that the Washington Nationals would be able compete for a spot in the playoffs.
Within their own division, the Philadelphia Phillies had made back-to-back NLCS appearances, the Atlanta Braves have dominated in the regular season, and the Miami Marlins were in the 2023 Wild Card round by finishing six games above .500.
The Nationals are still rebuilding, something they hope to come out of soon.
But when it was clear they would miss the playoffs for the fifth year in a row, their front office decided to ship out some pieces and get future assets back in return.
Star outfielder Lane Thomas was their biggest name moved at the deadline when they sent the slugger to the Cleveland Guardians in return for a package of three players that included some interesting prospects.
With Thomas off the roster, all three of Washington's Opening Day starting outfielders were no longer on the team following the DFA and release of Victor Robles on June 1 and Eddie Rosario on July 3.
Their departures have allowed rookie Jacob Young to shine in center field.
He's been incredible defensively, leading Major League Baseball in Runs Prevented (15) and tied for the lead in Outs Above Average (17) per Baseball Savant.
The only issue with Young's game is his offense.
He's slashing .249/.309/.321 with two homers and 27 RBI across 114 games and 361 at-bats. His OPS+ of 82 is 18 points below the league average.
That's why Michael Henshaw of District on Deck thinks the breakout rookie won't be able to maintain his starting position no matter how well he performs in the field. He's comparing him to Billy Hamilton, another player who was excellent in the field but was held back by his poor hitting ability.
"Billy Hamilton put up 11.2 WAR in his five-year run as the Reds center fielder from 2014-2018, and averaging more than 2 WAR per season is great for a young, controllable role player. That's about what Jacob Young's trajectory looks like right now ... There's a real possibility his bat takes a step back at some point and he is a better fit on the bench as a defensive specialist and pinch-runner," he predicts.
If that happens, it wouldn't necessarily be the worst thing.
Teams are always looking for defensive specialists who can come in and be effective in the field whenever called upon, especially if they can be used as a weapon on the base paths.
However, the Nationals would love to see his elite defense pair with even a serviceable amount of production at the plate so they can utilize him everyday.
The good news is he's just 25 years old, so there's still a chance he can improve.
If he isn't able to, though, he might not be able to maintain his starting role in the outfield during the upcoming seasons.
