Four Nationals Being Counted On To Carry Team’s Offensive Production

Four Washington Nationals players are being counted on as the core to jump-start the offense this season.

Mar 29, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (33) celebrates after hitting two run home run during the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals have their work cut out for them in 2025 given some of the hurdles that have to be overcome.

In the National League East, they are competing against three legitimate World Series contenders; the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.

Moving up the standings will be a challenge as they are still working out of their rebuild.

Several veteran additions were made to the roster this offseason to help raise the team’s floor and make them more competitive on the field.

What will determine how the team progresses in 2025 is their offensive production.

The Nationals have a few players who will be counted on to carry the load as the core of the lineup.

“With Dylan Crews and James Wood playing their first full seasons in the Majors and the additions of veterans Josh Bell and Nathaniel Lowe, will they boost their offensive production?” wrote Jessica Camerato of MLB.com in a piece highlighting every team’s unknown heading into the campaign.

Washington has lacked pop in their lineup for years. 

In 2024, they were second-to-last in runs scored and slugging percentage. They finished last in the MLB in home runs and over the past three campaigns and they were in last place in the NL in long balls.

Bell and Lowe are already making a positive impact in that regard, hitting three home runs in their season-opening series against the Phillies.

Catcher Keibert Ruiz, who was under pressure to perform this year, has gotten off to a blazing start as well, with two homers and a double in three games.

Unfortunately, Wood and Crews have yet to get going to showcase their immense talent.

The imposing left fielder has two hits through his first 13 plate appearances with seven strikeouts. In right field, Crews has yet to record a hit and has struck out eight times in 12 plate appearances.

They will eventually figure things out, but until they do, it is going to be a challenge for the Nationals to generate run production consistently.

While Camerato mentioned those four, the team is going to be relying on 2024 All-Star CJ Abrams and second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. to also produce at the clip they have shown capable of in the past.

This isn’t a lineup built on hitting home runs; the infusion of power from Bell, Lowe and third baseman Paul DeJong will certainly help, but it will be speed and athleticism that carries the load again.