Forget-Me Nats

 

The Nationals, to their credit, have a similar strategy to the Rays in getting people that may not have worked in other farm systems or markets and employing them in big roles to success. The trouble is, unlike the Rays, the Nats...aren't very good.

I will give them this, I was shaky on Josiah Gray when he left the Dodgers, and I was shaky on Josiah Gray last year, but he's really been impressing me so far. A 2.67 ERA and 31 Ks in 6 games, far and away the biggest standout on this team, even if MacKenzie Gore has more wins and strikeouts. Gray...probably couldn't have succeeded in LA. The rotations there were always set in stone, and there's always gonna be someone like Gray or Andre Jackson or...Edwin Jackson honestly, who just doesn't have room and needs another market to really thrive in. The Nats needed someone like Gray, especially after Patrick Corbin fell apart. Without Corbin or Strasburg, the Nats having young guys like Gray, Gore and Jake Irvin is a great sign for the future. 

But...as things are right now, you have a lot of people like Dominic Smith, Jeimer Candelario and Luis Garcia getting playing time and not exactly delivering. A lot of the Nats' strategy from the last few years has revolved around capitalizing upon 'magic hat' guys, like Alcides Escobar in 2021 and Joey Meneses last year, and it's very rare that people like that translate to long-term success. Meneses is passable this year, nothing too special. Alex Call, the longtime minor leaguer who finally made it work, is that guy this year, he's been fantastic as a clutch power guy. Not sure how long he will be that magic guy for them, but...I suppose we'll see.

You can at least see people like C.J. Abrams, someone who is supposed to inherit this team eventually, doing his best to snap into place despite inexperience, or Keibert Ruiz at least getting a lot of contact done while being an alright-at-best catcher. The seeds are there, the beginnings are there, but a lot of this is gonna be intentionally terrible for a bit. They have a tough division, are almost guaranteed last place, and just need to play around with what works and who can eventually carry this team as the season ticks by. Hopefully by September they get further than they were. 

Coming Tomorrow- The man who gained the very cool nickname of The Pasquatch.