Nationals Give Keys to Third Base to Former Top Prospect Brady House
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The Washington Nationals are right in the thick of a youth movement. They spent the last few seasons under former president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo drafting and trading for superstar prospects. James Wood, Dylan Crews and CJ Abrams were among those players and are already making an impact at the major league level.
Since Anthony Rendon left in free agency after 2019, third base has been a revolving door for the Nationals. They've have a new one each season, ranging from Starlin Castro to Trey Lipscomb. Back in 2021, they drafted a high schooler named Brady House to hopefully be their future at the position. He arrived this year.
Even though it was a rough rookie season, the Nationals hope he sticks around for the long haul. Here is a look back at how third base shook out in DC during the 2025 season.
Washington Nationals 2025 Third Base in Review
Offense: Brady House (.234/.252/.322, 73 G, 4 HR, 29 RBI, .574 OPS, 62 OPS+, -0.6 bWAR), Jose Tena (.243/.314/.355, 50 G, 0 HR, 16 RBI, .669 OPS, 91 OPS+, 0.3 bWAR), Paul DeJong (.228/.269/.373, 57 G, 6 HR, 23 RBI, .642 OPS, 81 OPS+, -0.1 bWAR).
Defense (Baseball Savant): House (2 Outs Above Average, 88.7 mph Arm Strength), Tena (-5 OAA, 86.5 mph), DeJong (-1 OAA, 80.7 mph).
Season Notes
Brady House was called up in the middle of June and took over everyday third base duties from there. The former first round pick struggled at the plate, with an OPS of .574, a 2.9 percent walk percentage and a 28.5 strikeout percentage. He'll need to work on that and adjust to big league pitching more, but he more than held his own defensively.
Jose Tena was in the big leagues from April to midway through July, which is when he started to yo-yo between Triple-A and the majors. He was playing practically everyday until House arrived and could be a pretty valuable backup. He struggled to hit in the majors, but batted .287 with five homers in Triple-A.
Paul DeJong was signed in the offseason, but was on the injured list from mid-April until July. The veteran served as a utility man, playing all over the infield, including third base. DeJong provided the most power of the three, but was ultimately below league average as well.
An Early 2026 Third Base Room
Unless new President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni makes a surprise move, Brady House is the third baseman for the Nationals.
It's been bleak since Rendon left and House was drafted to be his successor. He's just 22-years-old and still has plenty of room to improve. He crushed Triple-A this season, hitting .304 with 13 homers and an .873 OPS. The bat is exciting and he plays a good defensive third base.
He didn't pop right away, but it was a pretty short tenure. House should get the time to grow and prove himself at the position, and he will next year.
Behind House, Tena is still under team control for a few more seasons and it looks like he will be the backup again next season. He doesn't provide a ton of pop, but he was the best of the three third basemen at the plate this season.
The Nationals will continue the theme of giving the keys to their young star prospects with Brady House next year. Now, they have to hope they've found the answer this time around.
