Washington Nationals Young Duo a Bright Spot During Brutal Stretch
The Washington Nationals were greatly exceeding expectations in the first few months of the season. They were more competitive than many people guessed they would be, fueled by the performance of their young players.
Unfortunately for the Nationals, they have come back to Earth the last few weeks. Trading away several key veterans ahead of the 2024 MLB deadline has certainly played a part, as the bullpen was weakened considerably. Arguably their best hitter, Lane Thomas, was also traded.
Despite the overall struggles, there have still been bright spots to keep fans interested. Top prospect James Wood coming up in July certainly provided a spark and the anticipated arrival of Dylan Crews to join him in the outfield is exciting.
But, there have been two players carrying the offensive load for the Nationals all season; middle infielders Luis Garcia Jr. and CJ Abrams. Those two were recently highlighted by Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report for their stellar performance this season.
“The Nats have crashed and burned in the two months since they were almost tied for a wild-card spot, going 19-31 in their last 50 games, but lost in that disappointing run is an impressive young middle infield, where 23-year-old CJ Abrams and 24-year-old Luis García Jr. have combined to hit .268 for the year with 33 home runs and 44 stolen bases,” Miller wrote.
Abrams, who was the team’s lone All-Star representative this season, has recorded a slash line of .246/.319/.442, hitting 18 home runs with 25 stolen bases. He has shown major improvements with his pitch selection, already drawing more walks in 2024 than he did in 2023 despite 90 fewer plate appearances to this point.
Several other career highs will be set, as he is only 23 hits, two doubles, one triple, one home run, 10 runs and 5 RBI from surpassing the numbers he had last season. That is the exact kind of improvement and steady development a franchise likes to see.
Garcia, who currently leads the team in WAR, has a slash line of .296/.331/.465 with 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases. This has been by far the best season of his career, entrenching himself as the second baseman of the future.
Despite being in his fifth major league season, Garcia is only 24 years old. Abrams is even younger, as he doesn’t turn 24 until October. Washington has quite an impressive young nucleus to build around; now all they need is to find some pitching to match their exciting bats.
KENNETH TEAPE