Nationals Reportedly 'Reluctant' to Call Up Top Prospect Seaver King
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The Washington Nationals are moving CJ Abrams to shortstop. That clears a path for top prospect Seaver King to get called up for his MLB debut, right?
Well, don't be so sure about that.
According to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic (subscription required), "the Nationals are reluctant to rush King up to the majors," as they prefer the 23-year-old to get more reps with Triple-A Rochester despite the breakout season he's had at that level.
Of course, things could change. But that is a notable report at this stage of the campaign, especially after fellow top prospect Jackson Kent was promoted for his MLB debut and Major League Baseball is only a couple of weeks away from expanding their rosters to 28 men on Sept. 1.
Nationals Want to See the Nasim Nunez-CJ Abrams Duo
One of the reasons why the Nationals are opting to slow play King's callup right now is because they want to see what the middle infield duo of Nasim Nunez at shortstop and Abrams at second base looks like.
Nunez, who is known as a premier, glove-first infielder, hasn't been elite in terms of advanced metrics when he's played at shortstop this season. Across 109 innings at that spot, he is just plus-one in defensive runs saved and minus-three in outs above average. However, that could likely be chalked up to lack of game reps at that position, as his numbers at second base across 829 innings are plus-14 and plus-eight in DRS and OAA, respectively.
Even if Nunez doesn't have that same level of elite defense at shortstop like he does at the keystone, it will be an upgrade from what Abrams has provided throughout his career in the field. And the hope is that this switch will not only improve the team's defense to help out their pitching staff, but it will also put Abrams in the right position for his career going forward.
Nationals Want To Be Patient With Seaver King's Growth
Circling back to King, it seems like Washington prefers to be patient when it comes to the youngster. After all, he is less than a season removed from having a disappointing showing last year when he was a mess at the plate and wasn't consistent in the field.
He's been able to turn that around this season with the help of the new regime. But when he was called up to Rochester, some of his bad offensive habits started to surface again. An oblique injury caused the Nationals to put him on the injured list, but since he's returned, he's lowered his chase rate. However, with Nunez able to play shortstop -- even if his offensive upside isn't there -- Washington can play the long game with their former first-round pick.
With all of that said, this situation will be something to keep an eye on before the end of the season. While the Nationals are feeling patient right now, there is still a month-and-a-half in the campaign remaining that could allow them to change their mind.
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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