On the current Nats 26-man roster, there are only 8 players over 30. Five of them are relievers. The two hitters over 30 are a guy who made his debut 2 years ago and Josh Bell. This is a very young team, and with some recent call-ups it just got even younger. And while that may not immediately succeed, especially in this division, the Nationals do have a point with trying to plug people into the right positions early.
For instance, they just called up Robert Hassell, one of the few remaining Soto deal prospects that hadn't made the majors. Hassell hasn't had a ton of hitting luck yet in the majors, but with Crews and Young hurt, they need to at least exhaust some minor league options. The other intriguing recent call up is Daylen Lile, a 22-year old outfield prospect with some incredible defensive skills and some early contact promise. In the minors he was trusted for his contact work and his base-stealing, so to have a guy like that would aid the Nats immensely, as they're already filling up with great young power bats [James Wood chief most among them].
The team's biggest star, arguably, is a young, consistent hitter netted in the Soto deal. C.J. Abrams was always gonna blossom in the majors, and it was really just a matter of where. San Diego did not have the infield room for him, and Washington clearly did, so of course it worked perfectly. So far this year Abrams is off to another strong start, hitting .294 with 8 homers, 19 RBIs and 9 steals. Even with shortstop being a highly contested position, Abrams has a decent shot of making an All-Star team this year, and it's clear that he's vindicated himself from where he was at the end of last season [from an ownership standpoint]. Abrams can still be the focal point of this team, even as Wood, Parker and Gore fully develop and Hassell and Lile join the fun.
The Nats, to me, have been among the best of the so-called 'bad teams'. They have a meager record and they're not currently expected to vie for the lead in the NL East, but they're better than you'd think. Last week they had a 5-game winning streak going, against the O's and Braves, and now they're playing teams like the Mariners and D-Backs that they honestly match up well against. Irvin, Gore and Parkers are having great seasons, Ruiz is batting .280, and Amed Rosario has been a terrific bench bat. There's a lot on this Nats team that works, and while I don't think they officially compete this year, people should be paying attention to what they're building, because before they know it they'll be a major force.
Coming Tonight: Oh, you know...that guy that just pitched a 13-K shutout the other day.
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