Nationals Boss Still Believes Brady House Has High Ceiling Despite His Demotion

On May 19, the Washington Nationals optioned Brady House to Triple-A Rochester.

It was a surprising move on the surface since he was the team's starting third baseman. But with his playing time already getting cut because of some struggles that he was going through on both the offensive and defensive ends, the Nationals felt this decision was best for the 22-year-old's long-term development.

When it comes to what House could become in the majors, there are some questions marks. However, president of baseball operations Paul Toboni still believes House has a high ceiling, as the executive stated, per Jessica Camerato of MLB.com, "I think Brady has a chance to be a Gold Glove infielder, and I really believe that."

Nationals Want Brady House to Find His Defensive Confidence Again

Washington Nationals third baseman Brady House | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Something that was astonishing when it came to House this season was his poor defensive numbers. After putting up two outs above average and zero defensive runs saved across 615 1/3 innings last year, he was worth minus-four in OAA and DRS over 299 innings in 2026. Sending House to Triple-A was as much about his defense as it was about his offense. And Toboni wants the former top prospect to find his confidence down on the farm.

"... I think when Brady is at his best, it's like this cocky, 'I'm going to go make all these plays and look great doing it' type mentality. So some of it is a mental component, but I think the other piece is, technically, there are some things that he can clean up -- and he will," he stated.

Playing Major League Baseball is hard for anyone, let alone for someone who is performing inconsistently at the age of 22. So House will play through his mistakes with Rochester as he works on his defense and improves his overall offensive approach.

"We told him he has the tools to be a Major League third baseman for a long time and help us win for a long time," manager Blake Butera said about House's demotion, per Camerato. "But right now, with how our roster is constructed, I don't think it's the best thing for him to do, fight for his life up here, maybe only play mostly against lefties. He needs to play every day."

Brady House Needs to Improve His Offensive Splits

If House is going to become an everyday player in the majors, he has to improve his hitting splits. For his career, he has slashed .268/.309/.378 against lefties with a wRC+ of 92, while he's slashed .215/.244/.340 with a wRC+ of 59 against righties. Those numbers were even more drastic this year, as he slashed .354/.426/.563 with a wRC+ of 179 against lefties and he slashed .174/.220/.330 with a wRC+ of 51 against righties.

Simply put, House has to become effective against right-handed pitchers. Having that little of production in that split will never pass at the big league level, so he has to start figuring things out in that matchup during this stint on the farm.

The good news is that Washington has done wonders with other hitters in their farm system to start the year, which bodes well for House. But as he enters this stage of his development, he'll need to find his defensive confidence once again while also improving against right-handed pitchers, which is easier said than done.

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