Washington Nationals Projected Opening Day Lineup Built on Young Talent
The Washington Nationals have had a rough few years, but things are finally starting to look up with their infusion of young talent.
Pitchers and catchers will report tomorrow, which makes now the perfect time to think about what the Nationals' opening day lineup could look like when they host the Philadelphia Phillies on March 27.
Batting Order
1. SS CJ Abrams
2. RF Dylan Crews
3. LF James Wood
4. DH Josh Bell
5. 1B Nathaniel Lowe
6. 2B Luis Garcia Jr.
7. C Keibert Ruiz
8. 3B, Jose Tena
9. CF Jacob Young
The Nationals have five left-handed hitters in their lineup and two that bat from both sides of the plate. Crews is a National League Rookie of the Year contender and the best pure right-handed hitter Washington has. There is a strong chance that he sits between Abrams and Wood for most of the year. In fact, that Abrams, Crews and Wood trio could end up as the franchise's top of the order nucleus for years to come.
The big question for Nationals manager Dave Martinez is whether newly-acquired first baseman Lowe hit cleanup, or does Martinez split lefties Wood and Lowe with the switch-hitter Bell in between? For what it's worth, Lowe wasn't a clean-up hitter with the Rangers and tended to bat fifth.
Bell has been a solid, but not quite spectacular power hitter for most of his nine-year career. Lowe may well hit fourth, as MLB.com currently has it, but his short-term production is close enough to Bell's that it gives Martinez options. At minimum, Washington has a built-in pivot if the combination of Wood and Lowe end up seeing frequent left-handed specialists in high-leverage spots.
If Bell hits fourth, Washington would still likely bat back-to-back lefties in Lowe and Garcia Jr. in the fifth and sixth slots. Washington could, conceivably, split them with Ruiz, but Garcia Jr. had a pretty encouraging 2024 campaign. Good chance Martinez wants to get Garcia Jr. as many opportunities as he reasonably can.
Rotation
1. MacKenzie Gore, LHP
2. Jake Irvin, RHP
3. Michael Soroka, RHP
4. Mitchell Parker, LHP
5. Trevor Williams, RHP
Gore is a virtual certainty to sit on top of Washington's rotation and it would be a surprise if Irvin wasn't second. How things shake out from there is less of a foregone conclusion.
Soroka was signed this offseason to serve as a veteran presence in Washington's rotation. Given Washington's less stable options, there is a good chance Soroka ends up in the third spot.
Williams only started 13 games last year, but he finished with a 2.03 ERA. Granted, all but two of those appearances came before the end of May. Over his nine-year career Williams has had a few strong seasons, but he's mostly been a sporadic pitcher. That and the potential desire to split Gore from their other left-handed starter probably leads to Parker manning the fourth spot.
Overall, the Nationals are still not ready to be considered contenders, but they are inching closer to being a perennial factor again.
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Ryan Reynolds has worked in sports media since 2019, where he’s primarily covered the NFL. He got his start writing for Evan Silva and Adam Levitan’s Establish the Run where Ryan became an authority on NFL awards markets. Ryan recently served as an Associate Director and content headliner for former NFL executives Joe Banner and Mike Tannenbaum at The 33rd Team. Ryan has also made multiple guest appearances on Fantasy Sports Radio on SiriusXM and VSiN. Outside of sports Ryan has a bachelor’s degree in accounting, graduating with honors from the University of Minnesota. He now has nearly a decade’s worth of experience in management. You can find Ryan on X @RyanReynoldsNFL or email him at RyanReynoldsNFL@gmail.com.