Washington Nationals Young Outfielder Has Been Sparkplug Recently for Team

A young outfielder has been the most productive hitter for the Washington Nationals recently.

Sep 3, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Washington Nationals center fielder Jacob Young (30) slides safely into home plate against the Miami Marlins in the ninth inning at loanDepot Park. / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

After a stronger-than-anticipated start to the 2024 season, the Washington Nationals have fallen on some tough times over the last few weeks.

They regressed hard to the mean, as they now have the sixth-worst record in baseball entering play on September 4 at 62-76. The future remains bright for this team despite the growing pains they are currently going through.

A lot of the attention for that future has been given to their impressive group of young players. Headlining that group is shortstop CJ Abrams, who was the team’s lone All-Star representative in 2024.

He has a great partner in second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. Both are only 24 years old and should be manning the middle infield for years to come.

The players who analysts are most excited about are outfielders James Wood and Dylan Crews. The duo made their debuts this season and have shown flashes of the star potential they possess.

Alas, it isn’t any of those four who have been carrying the offensive load for the Nationals over the last few weeks. That job has been done by unheralded outfielder Jacob Young.

While he hasn’t gained as much attention as his highly-touted teammates, the 2021 seventh-round pick has been a steady presence in the Washington lineup this season. Most recently, he has been the team’s best hitter.

Over the last two weeks, Young has been on fire. He has been one of the more productive hitters in baseball, getting on base with regularity, hitting .410, going 16-of-39 with four walks.

As a bottom-of-the-order hitter, his job is to flip the lineup back to the top. He has been doing that excellently, getting on base and providing the big bats in the lineup with run-producing opportunities.

They have found success knocking Young in, as he has scored seven runs during that stretch. He has added six RBI and three stolen bases for some very strong, all-around production out of the eighth and ninth spots in the order.

That has raised his slash line on the season to .263/.324/.347 with a 3.2 WAR. Anything that he provides the team at the plate is gravy considering that he plays elite defense in center field.

Nationals fans are going to be treated to quite a show over the next few years as he, Wood and Crews have the potential to be one of the best outfields in baseball.