What Can Washington Nationals Expect From Luis Garcia Jr. in 2025?
As the Washington Nationals head into the offseason, the franchise is hoping to take a step forward with their young core.
Even though a 71-win season isn’t considered to be a success for the Nationals in 2024, there were a lot of things to like about the team.
As a franchise that has been stockpiling young talent and rebuilding, it is important to see that talent succeed when they are called up. There are no guarantees in baseball that top prospects will pan out, as a lot goes into scouting and developing players.
One player who looks like he is going to work out for Washington long-term is second baseman Luis Garcia Jr.
This campaign, Garcia had a career year, as he totaled a .282 batting average, 18 home runs, 22 doubles, 70 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases. It was truly an excellent year at the plate for the 24-year-old, as he really bounced back nicely after a demotion in 2023.
As the Nationals think about the future of the organization, second base isn’t a position that they need to worry about for a while with Garcia on the team.
Recently, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports spoke about what 2025 could look like for the talented second baseman.
“2025 outlook: García’s breakthrough performance was a win not only for him but for the Nationals, who stuck it out with their talented young infielder, gave him some tough love and were rewarded for it over time. They can only hope that rubs off on other enigmatic young players like double-play partner CJ Abrams. And they can only hope García keeps it going next year and beyond.”
Consistency and focus seemed to be a priority for Garcia this season, and it worked out well, as he had a really strong first and second half of the season. At his age, he still might not have reached his full potential yet, which could result in some exciting things to look forward to in the years to come.
One area of his game at the plate that he will have to try and improve upon is batting against left-handed pitchers. In 2024, Garcia only hit one home run against lefties and his batting average was nearly 30 points lower compared to against right-handers.
As Washington heads into 2025, the 24-year-old will certainly be a player to watch, as he has the potential to be an All-Star caliber player, and potentially have another season of career-highs.
