Who Were the Washington Nationals Best Position Players in 2024 Season?
Early in the summer, the Washington Nationals were hanging around the .500 mark in the National League wild card race. It is hard to imagine that being the case given where things have ended up.
The Nationals aren’t close to the playoffs, missing for a fifth straight season since winning the World Series in 2019. They are going to finish with the fifth or sixth-worst record in baseball as things crashed back down to Earth hard.
Despite another disappointing season overall, there were a few bright spots for the franchise and fan base to be excited about heading into the future.
A new, exciting young core has emerged. Leading the way is shortstop CJ Abrams.
An All-Star for the first time in his career, Abrams's 2024 campaign is ending on a sour note as he was demoted in a disciplinary move. But, that shouldn’t totally wipe out what was a production year for the former top prospect.
“Prior to getting demoted to Triple-A for an "internal issue" after he was spotted at a local casino until 8 a.m. on the same day he had a day game, CJ Abrams was having a breakout season for the Nationals. The 23-year-old has a 110 OPS+ with 55 extra-base hits, 31 steals and 3.4 WAR in 138 games, and he was an All-Star for the first time,” wrote Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report in his piece highlighting the five best position players on each team in the MLB.
This is a team that looks to be very strong up the middle, which is the foundation of a good team. Along with the breakout performance at the plate, he is a slick fielder at shortstop.
His double play partner, second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. isn’t as strong with the glove but made major strides with the bat.
He is No. 2 on Reuter’s list, recording career highs in hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, stolen bases and his entire slash line. One more walk and he will have his career-best number in that category as well.
Highly touted outfield prospect James Wood, who made his MLB debut on July 1st, came in at No. 3. While there is plenty of work to do in left field with his glove, his bat is already playing at the highest level.
Luckily for him, the No. 4 player on the list can help cover up his deficiencies in the field.
Jacob Young has come out of nowhere to cement his status as the team’s everyday center fielder moving forward. He is already Gold Glove-caliber out there, as his defensive prowess is enough to warrant a lineup spot even if he isn’t hitting.
“A seventh-round pick in 2021 who never ranked higher than the No. 18 prospect in the Nationals system, Jacob Young has been one of the most surprising rookie standouts of the season. The 25-year-old has 32 steals, 74 runs scored and elite defensive metrics (13 DRS, 4.0 UZR/150) in center field,” wrote Reuter.
Last but not least on the Washington top five catcher Keibert Ruiz. He was one of the key pieces, along with Josiah Gray, in the Max Scherzer and Trea Turner blockbuster with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021.
