Washington Nationals Top Takeaways from Difficult Beginning of Season

With the season off to a poor start for the Washington Nationals, here are four takeaways from April.

Apr 26, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood (29) reacts after striking out against the New York Mets during the sixth inning at Nationals Park. | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

 With the first month of the season finished up for the Washington Nationals, it wasn’t an ideal start to the year for the franchise.

The Nationals certainly would have liked to have a better opening month of the campaign than they did. With a 13-18 record heading into May, April and March once again weren’t kind to Washington.

This winter the team wanted to make some upgrades to provide them with some veteran leadership. The front office didn’t make any massive splashes in the trade market or free agency, but they did bring in some talent that made them better on paper.

Unfortunately, that has yet to result in more victories, and it once again appears that the Nationals won’t be a postseason contender.

With April finished up, here are four takeaways from the first month of the year.

Bullpen Needs Work

One of the main reasons for the struggles of Washington has been the performance of their bullpen. They have the worst ERA in baseball, and the unit has struggled immensely this season.

While closer Kyle Finnegan has pitched well, few others can say the same.

Even though the unit has some talent, they have cost the team some wins already this campaign. It’s unlikely that the Nationals would mortgage the future to add any help externally this year, but the team has to find a way to make this unit better.

Top Prospect Flopping

Coming into the season, one of the most talked about prospects in all of baseball was outfielder Dylan Crews. The former No. 2 overall pick has high expectations but has yet to deliver in the Majors.

Last season, the Nationals called him up for a bit at the end of the year, but the results were underwhelming. Now, he is off to a poor start and has been a liability in the lineup.

If the struggles continue, Washington might have to consider sending him to the minors to try and gain some confidence and work on some things.

Pocket Aces

One area that the team wanted to see improvement in was in their starting rotation. So far, two of their young guns have been off to strong starts.

Both MacKenzie Gore and Mitchell Parker are pitching extremely well to begin the year. Of the two, Parker is the surprise, but his performance has been a welcomed sight.

Gore is a bit more the household name as a highly-touted prospect, and his strikeout numbers this campaign have been elite.

If both can continue to pitch well, it will be a major positive for the franchise going forward.

New Superstar Emerging

Easily the biggest takeaway for the team has been the play of outfielder James Wood. The 22-year-old has been not only the best hitter for Washington, but one of the best outfielders in the league.

While Wood had a good showing in 2024, he has taken his game to a new level to begin 2025. The power numbers from the youngster have been very impressive, matching his total in home runs already.

Even though the season might feel like a disappointment so far, Wood emerging into a superstar would be a significant positive for the future.