With the second half of the season about to get underway I thought it was a good time to check in on how the young Nationals are doing and where they might fit in on the 2026 Nationals and beyond.
Starting Next Year
James Wood (152 wRC+, 3.7 fWAR) Wood made his first All-Star Game this year and it was absolutely deserved. His offense has been incredible and his underlying stats show he’s unlikely to be a first half wonder. His 90th percentile exit velocity of 111.8 MPH is one of the best in MLB and he pairs that with a solid approach at the plate with a 78th percentile SEAGER. If you wanted to nitpick you could ask him to start pulling the ball more as he’s in the 10th percentile in MLB in pulled fastball percentage, however it is hard to argue with results. A better hitting coach in 2026 can hopefully help him increase the impact of his power with more pulled fastballs without losing the progress he’s already made.
CJ Abrams (134 wRC+, 3.0 fWAR) Abrams is off to another great start to the season just like in 2024. The 134 wRC+ is a little high based on his underlying numbers, Abrams does not standout for his power (45th percentile 90EV) or approach (51st percentile SEAGER). Baseball Prospectus’ Deserved Runs Created+, which focuses on each hitter’s expected contribution, rather than their actual results, puts him at a more reasonable 114. However, his speed and elite baserunning will always give him a boost in value to the team.
The big issue with Abrams is that his defense has been consistently terrible. In three seasons his Outs Above Average percentile has never been above 4. I said it earlier this season, but this is not a case like Ian Desmond or Trea Turner where you accept slightly below average defense for the bat, he’s actively tanking his value to the team by playing shortstop. Heading into the offseason the Nats need to consider either moving him to the outfield to join Wood and Dylan Crews or moving him to second base and finding a shortstop.
Luis García Jr. (93 wRC+, 0.3 fWAR) Speaking of second base, the current occupant is having defensive struggles of his own. After a solid 2024 where he was in the 89th percentile in OAA it looked like García had found his positional home, but in 2025 he’s mirrored that season to be one of the worst second base defenders. At the plate, he’s still making his quirky approach work with decent exit velocities in the 65th percentile, but he’s another player who could benefit a lot from a new hitting coach that can help refine his approach to reduce his streakiness. Unless the Nats go big this offseason and need the 2B spot for Abrams, I think he still provides enough positive value to be worth keeping in the starting lineup. However, it’s looking like 2024 was more of a fluke than a new level.
Dylan Crews (74 wRC+, 0.0 fWAR) After a dreadful start to the season, Crews was turning things around with good exit velocity (69th percentile) and SEAGER (67th percentile) before getting injured in May. It’s always tough to pick back up after an injury, but Crews should hopefully have two more months to refine his understanding of how MLB pitchers attack him and refine his approach to set up for 2026. One area to work on is his in-zone contact rate which is in the 36th percentile in MLB, he needs to be taking more advantage of his good swing decisions. This obviously was not the rookie season the Nats or their fans were hoping for but the results should come, as evidenced by his 104 DRC+. On the defensive side, he needs to be in center field going forward to maximize the value he can provide.
Brady House (83 wRC+, 0.3 fWAR) House has only been up a month but he’s shown some great underlying traits even if the results have not been entirely there yet. He has some of the best exit velocity on the team behind Wood in the 81st percentile and while he’s been a little swing happy at pitches outside of the zone (7th percentile chase rate), his overall approach has been good (90th percentile SEAGER). Like Crews, House could also benefit from more in-zone contact (14th percentile) to take advantage of his good swing decisions and like Wood he could benefit from pulling more fastballs (13th percentile) to take advantage of his power.
The good news for House is that his excellent defense at third base will give him plenty of time to figure things out on the hitting side.
We Might Have a Bench Role
Jacob Young (71 wRC+, 0.5 fWAR) Young is an amazing defender in center field, however just like his two predecessors Victor Robles and Michael A. Taylor, he can’t hit. Young has no power (21st percentile 90EV) and does not have the approach to make up for it (17th percentile SEAGER). His speed could be a good secondary asset however he has been absolutely awful on the basepaths this year, getting caught stealing (9) nearly as many times as he’s stolen a base (10). While the poor hitting and glut of outfielders (especially if you include Abrams) leaves Young without a starting spot, he should be a good defensive replacement/pinch runner/IL fill in if he can figure out his caught stealing issue in the second half.
Daylen Lile (77 wRC+, -0.7 fWAR) Lile has been up and down a couple times due to multiple injuries in the Nationals outfield but so far he has not done anything to stand out in a crowded outfield. His exit velocity (49th percentile) suggests he does not have the power for a corner outfield spot and his defensive numbers have been awful. However, his good SEAGER (65th percentile) and better DRC+ (91) suggest he could be a better bench choice over Young if the Nats want more offense.
Riley Adams (37 wRC+, -0.6 fWAR) Emphasis here is strongly on might. While he’s better than a 37 wRC+ hitter, his DRC+ is not that much better at 65. Adams has awesome exit velocity (86th percentile), but a poor approach (36th percentile SEAGER), inability to make contact in the strike zone (8th percentile) and average pull rate does not allow him to take advantage of it. Defensively Adams is the best on the Nats but is still one of the worst catchers in MLB at -3.7 runs by Baseball Prospectus’ Catching Defense Added. The only reason he’s in this category is because the Nats have bigger fish to fry this offseason and he’s low cost bench option to put behind a better starter.
Happy Trails
Keibert Ruiz (66 wRC+, -1.0 fWAR) Speaking of bigger fish to fry and a better starter, it’s time for the Keibert Ruiz experiment to end. After a interesting first few weeks, Ruiz immediately went back to his usual self at the plate with a terrible approach (8th percentile SEGAER) and terrible exit velocity (10th percentile 90EV). As I spoiled above, he’s also one of the worst catchers in baseball amassing -5.5 runs by CDA. Only Will Smith, Yainer Diaz and Logan O’Hoppe have been worse this year. There’s nothing here and his contract is not expensive enough to prohibit cutting him. With a new front office in town with no connection to the trade that brought him here or the contract that keeps him, they should be ready to clean house. If Ruiz is not cut this offseason that’s a bad sign of the Lerners’ willingness to field a good team.
Robert Hassell III (35 wRC+, -0.5 fWAR) His prospect status has been slipping the last two seasons and you can see why. There’s not much in his exit velocity (38th percentile) or approach (49th percentile) that suggest he could be something more than his 72 DRC+. There’s no real space in the outfield or bench spots to give him time to figure out a role either. He will stick around the org as long as he has options but not should not be in the long term plans.
José Tena (96 wRC+, 0.1 fWAR) Now surpassed by Brady House at third base, the best case scenario for him is to hang on as a bench bat but bad exit velocity (38th percentile) and approach (43rd percentile) suggest his 87 DRC+ is closer to what he can provide on that front. Paired with bad defense it does not look like Tena has enough to offer to be worth keeping around next year. Like Hassell he will stick around the org as long as he has options but should not be in the long term plans.
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