Nationals Recall Brady House, Why He Needs to Take Advantage of This Opportunity
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Prior to Sunday's game, the Washington Nationals announced that Brady House was recalled to their major league roster.
This comes as the corresponding move following the trade that sent starting third baseman Curtis Mead to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for left-handed pitcher Connelly Early late on Saturday. Earlier in the season, Mead was the replacement at the hot corner for House after the former top prospect struggled to begin the year. But with Mead now putting on a new uniform, House has been given a chance to prove why he should be the team's everyday third baseman going forward.
Knowing that, the second half of this season is crucial when it comes to House's career with the Nationals, as he needs to take advantage of this opportunity that he's been given.
Nationals Need Brady House to Replace Curtis Mead's Production
The first thing House has to do is become an impact player at the plate for Washington to replace the departing production of Mead. Make no mistake about it, despite the fact that the Nationals shipped out one of their most productive offensive players, that doesn't mean the organization isn't eyeing a potential postseason run. Manager Blake Butera said his team is embracing playing meaningful games, and president of baseball operations Paul Toboni flat-out admitted that he's thinking about the playoffs. So to make that a reality, House needs to perform on offense.
That, of course, is what he struggled with before he was sent down. He had a .227/.282/.399 slash line with seven home runs and 25 RBIs through 44 games, while he also struck out 50 times and only drew 13 walks. Thankfully, his time down in Triple-A offers some hope that he can turn things around during this stint in The Show.
House crushed the ball with Rochester, as he was in the 88th percentile or higher for barrel rate, exit velocity and hard-hit percentage. However, that is to be expected from a former top prospect. Where he really improved was with his swing decisions. His strike out rate was 24.1% compared to 28.2% in the majors this year, while he lowered his whiff rate to 29.7% compared to 33%. There are concerns that House will still be a free-swinger in the MLB. But hopefully, he's able to be more patient at the plate and do damage when he gets hittable pitches.
However, if the 23-year-old struggles to perform on offense, not only will that kneecap Washington when it comes to their chance to make the playoffs, but it could also change his status within the organization.
Brady House Could Become Replaceable If He Struggles
Outside of trading MacKenzie Gore, there wasn't a whole lot of housecleaning done by Toboni after he took over as the president of baseball operations this past offseason. While he did deal Jose A. Ferrer for top catching prospect Harry Ford and he shipped out left-handed pitching prospect Jake Bennett to the Red Sox in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Luis Perales, it was a tamer winter than many anticipated.
That could change after the season, though, and based on the stacked group of infielders the Nationals have coming up their pipeline, House may no longer be viewed as the long-term third baseman if he struggles during the second half of the year.
That doesn't mean House would be placed on the trade block immediately. Those high-end infield prospects are still coming up the pipeline, with many of them down in the lower levels of the minors. But because Toboni didn't draft House, the executive might look at the former top prospect as expendable when he continues to put together his long-term plan.
All of that is to say that House has a massive opportunity in front of him if he can perform well. And if he does, not only could he help Washington get into the playoffs, but he might also solidify himself as the everyday starting third baseman for this team going forward.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai