Way-Too-Early Power Rankings Have Washington Nationals Improving Next Year

The Washington Nationals have work to do this offseason, but with their young roster, they could be much better next season.

Sep 28, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals second base Ildemaro Vargas (14) leaps to put the Home Run Hat on Nationals outfielder James Wood (29) after a two run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the sixth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

While the record may indicate differently, 2024 was a productive season for the Washington Nationals.

The team was able to work a lot of their young talent into the mix, including debuting top prospects James Wood and Dylan Crews, who look to play big parts in the team's success moving forward.

Though they were only able to finish the year with a 71-91 record, advancing the development of their young roster and giving them more Major League reps was much more vital to the Nationals' success being sustained than an unexpected playoff run would have been.

Now in the offseason, there is much to be done for Washington to be prepared for the 2025 campaign, though it could be a better one than most expect.

In a recent article from The Athletic, Stephen J. Nesbitt, Rustin Dodd, and C. Trent Rosecrans gave their way-too-early power rankings for Major League Baseball and the 2025 season, placing Washington 25th, though predicting greatness from the young team.

"Call me crazy, but could the Nationals be this year’s version of the Royals?" asks Rosecrans, "But it’ll take swift and sure-handed offseason moves."

The Nationals could be following the blueprint of the Kansas City Royals, a team that is coming out of a rebuild with one of the youngest rosters in the sport and made a postseason run this year, though we have yet to see Wood or Crews come anywhere close to the level of production that Bobby Witt Jr. provides for his club.

Wood was the better of the two top prospects on the field this year, though Crews has been highly touted since his time in college, and having both men in the same outfield could go a long way toward making this Washington team much more successful.

For the third time in as many seasons, young lefty MacKenzie Gore saw an increase in his production on the mound, improving his ERA, FIP, and ERA+, while making 32 starts and qualifying for the ERA title for the first time in his young career.

Control remains an issue for Gore, and it is something that he drastically needs to improve, as he led the Majors with 14 wild pitches this year, also a career-high after having only six in each of the two previous campaigns.

It is a promising time for the Nationals and their fans as the team is approaching the end of their rebuild, and we may see the signing of a big-time free agent to kick down the door.