New Nationals Regime Has Completely Transformed Keibert Ruiz, Jacob Young, Others

The new Washington Nationals regime has been impressive.

Washington Nationals manager Blake Butera and president of baseball operations Paul Toboni | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

When the Washington Nationals hired then-35-year-old Paul Toboni to become the team's new president of baseball operations, there was a lot of excitement about the direction of the organization. But when he subsequently hired 33-year-old Blake Butera to become the big league manager, it was anyone's guess as to how this season would go.

But it's safe to say that this new regime has gotten off to the best start that anyone could have imagined, as the Nationals sit with a 29-28 record on May 28 and have the highest scoring offense in the sport.

The red-hot performance at the plate has a lot to do with their stars -- James Wood and CJ Abrams -- performing at a high level. However, they have also gotten contributions up and down the lineup on a consistent basis. And a lot of that credit has to be given to the way the regime has transformed the likes of Keibert Ruiz, Jacob Young, Luis Garcia Jr. and others.

Keibert Ruiz Now a Plus on Both Offense and Defense

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz | David Richard-Imagn Images

The most notable transformation that has taken place this year features Ruiz. Coming into the season, there was a thought that he might be designated for assignment or stashed in Triple-A based on how poorly he's performed the past two campaigns with wRC+ numbers well under the league average mark of 100.

But he's gotten hot at the plate in May, and he's now one of the most productive catchers in Major League Baseball on the offensive end with a slash line of .262/.277/.486, four home runs, 24 RBIs and a 109 wRC+. However, perhaps the most impressive thing when it comes to Ruiz, is the fact that he's become a plus player on the defensive end, too.

Across 270 innings, he has been worth plus-three in both defensive runs saved and fielding run value. His framing also grades out at plus-two. That is the first time he's been in positive numbers when it comes to FRV and framing, which is a direct credit to the coaching staff since they are having Ruiz catch from a lower stance, according to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic (subscription required).

In addition to his evolution on defense, the staff is also directly responsible for his resurgence on offense. Nusbaum added that, through constant meetings between Ruiz, the coaching staff and the front office, they have gotten the 27-year-old to swing harder and pull the ball in the air more often. His average exit velocity is now 90 mph for the first time in his career, and his hard-hit rate is at 41.3%, which is about 11 percentage points higher than what he averaged since becoming a full-time player for the Nationals.

It's been impressive to see Ruiz perform in this fashion after he entered the season with question marks about his long-term future, and now he's playing like the catcher people across the league envisioned during the early stages of his professional career.

Jacob Young and Luis Garcia Jr. Have Also Benefitted

Washington Nationals infielder Luis Garcia Jr. | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Ruiz isn't the only one who has seen his offensive game improve under this new regime, though, as Young has added power to his swing that he's never had before and Garcia is on track to rebound after a disappointing performance in 2025.

Per Nusbuam, the staff has gotten both Young and Garcia to increase their bat speed, while Young was also directed to pull the ball in the air more often. That has resulted in Young hitting seven home runs so far this season, which is more than he had in his career up to this point combined (five). He also is on pace to smash his career-high mark in RBIs (36), as he's already at 24 through 55 games.

Garcia, meanwhile, has a wRC+ of 96 and a slash line of .263/.287/.419 that mirrors last year. But his average exit velocity of 92.4 mph and his hard-hit rate of 47.9% are both the highest of his major league career, so he could also have a power surge like Young coming at some point this season.

It will be interesting to see if Ruiz, Young, Garcia and the other offensive players who have seen a boost in their numbers this year -- like Curtis Mead and Jose Tena -- will be able to sustain that over the course of the entire campaign. But regardless if they do or don't, it's clear that this new regime has a plan in place to get the most out of its players, and that has worked so far.