Closing Bell

 

So now that the Nationals have absolutely nothing left to prove and are throwing out Daylen Lile and Andrew Alvarez just to keep the lights on, NOW is the time that Josh Bell starts hitting. That'll help!

Josh Bell has this uncanny ability to absolutely take off late in a season, typically for a competitor, regardless of whether or not he was doing anything in the first half. It happened in 2023 with the Marlins, he came to Miami and hit .270 with 11 homers and 26 RBIs, sparking a playoff spot. It happened last year with the Diamondbacks, where Bell put on a clinic subbing for Christian walker, hitting .279 with 5 homers and 22 RBIs in 41 games. And now it's happened in Washington, despite the Nats having been eliminated from playoff contention like a month ago.

It's as simple as this: Josh Bell had a .678 OPS during the 1st half and a .814 OPS during the second half. It's not gonna go down as one of his best power seasons, but it's been more power than a lot of Nationals in the past two months. Bell will finish the season with 20+ homers and 60+ RBIs, which isn't bad. It's not like his 2023 for the Nats, but he's also been far worse for other teams admittedly. They got him to be a power bat, a veteran DH, and he's done what they signed him to do. Compare that to Joc Pederson, who got more money to hit .180, and there's no contest. 

Ultimately, the star of the show right now for the Nats have been rookies. Daylen Lile's been heating up recently, and is hitting .292 with 9 triples and 6 homers, a very impressive ratio. Crews seems to be hitting now, even if his first half stats are gonna kill his cumulative season. Clayton Beeter has been a steal of a throw-in, as he, along with P.J. Poulin, has provided more bullpen stability than they've had all year. And Andrew Alvarez has been excellent in his first three starts, with a 1.15 ERA and a 0.8 WAR. It doesn't make up for the amount of dead weight this team has carried, but at least the dominoes are still being laid out for a better year. 

If they can get a full year of Wood, Crews, Gore, Abrams, Hassell, Lile and Alvarez performing at their peaks, this might not be as depressing of a team. But a lot has to be strung together, rather than a series of one-man teams. And I don't know how far away the Nats are from that.

Coming Tonight: A rookie catcher for the White Sox. No, not that one.