4 Nationals Players Who Stood Out in Major Way During Friday's Spring Contest

For the second time this spring, the Washington Nationals tied a game.

The Nationals faced the Houston Astros at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on Friday where they were hoping to get back to their winning ways after they had dropped two consecutive games before taking the field. But this contest was more about who was returning to the lineup than anything else.

Miles Mikolas was the starting pitcher and made his team debut. Jacob Young and Luis Garcia Jr. also returned from injury, which was a huge positive. So despite not securing the win -- which ultimately does not matter -- there was plenty to take away from this game, especially when it came to the four players who stood out in a major way.

Luis Garcia Jr.

Not only was it good to see Garcia back in the starting lineup after recovering from what was a mild hamstring issue. But how he performed in his first game action of the year has to get everyone a bit fired up regarding a potential bounce back season for the 25-year-old.

In the bottom of the second inning, Garcia ripped a single on a line to center field that had an exit velocity of 109.8 mph. Then, he followed that up with a monster three-run homer in the bottom of the third that traveled 400 feet and had an exit velocity of 107.1 mph.

first homer of spring for luis 💥 pic.twitter.com/wxEtQqBur9
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) February 28, 2026

He hit the ball hard at the highest rate of his career last season (45.8%) even if there wasn't a whole lot of overall success to show for it. So seeing him hit the ball for power again is a great sign, even if spring training games should be taken with a grain of salt, especially in his first of the year.

If he can keep that trend going throughout 2026, then he could be on his way to returning to the above average league hitter he was in 2024 when he was seen as a possible franchise cornerstone.

Shinnosuke Ogasawara

Shinnosuke Ogasawara came on late in the game when the backups had been inserted. But the Japanese international took care of business like a big leaguer should with two scoreless innings where he didn't give up a hit or a walk and struck out four.

The majority of his K's came in the top of the eighth inning when he began the frame with a three-pitch strikeout by utilizing his fastball, changeup and slider. Then, he rung up the next batter on four pitches before finishing his three-up, three-down inning with a five-pitch strikeout.

Overall, Ogasawara showcased a more advanced pitch mix, which could help him become an effective bullpen arm for the Nationals this year if he's able to be more consistent.

Griff McGarry

The team debut of 2026 Rule 5 draft pick Griff McGarry came on Friday, and it didn't disappoint. The right-hander threw just one inning, but he didn't give up a hit and struck out two of the batters he faced without issuing a walk.

During his second at-bat of the frame, McGarry displayed his off-speed stuff. He worked a four-pitch strikeout where he only threw his sweeper and slider. After that, he showed off his fastball, as he touched 97 and 96.3 mph on the radar gun before finishing things off with a nasty sweeper.

While making an Opening Day roster push seems unlikely for the 26-year-old at the moment, he'll be someone to keep an eye on throughout spring and during the early part of the season.

Mitchell Parker

Players can also stand out in a bad way, and that was the case with Mitchell Parker on Friday. Following a solid showing during his first outing of the spring, he was all over the place during his second one with four walks issued across 1 2/3 innings of work.

While he didn't give up a hit and was able to strike out two batters, he was also charged with two earned runs because he was responsible for runners on the basepaths when he was pulled in the top of the fourth inning.

Like all pitchers, Parker is working on things this spring at the direction of the coaching staff. So this isn't anything to be overly concerned about. However, after finishing last year with an 8% walk rate, seeing him be wild like this was not a good look.