Position Battles Nationals Fans Should Pay Attention to During Spring Training
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The Wasington Nationals are set to get their spring training campaign underway on Saturday.
It will be split-squad day, as Jake Eder is scheduled to be the starting pitcher for the main team against the Houston Astros and Shinnosuke Ogasawara is slated to get the ball for the other squad when they take on the St. Louis Cardinals.
That will give the fanbase an early opportunity to follow plenty of players in live game action, as many spots on the Opening Day roster are up for grabs or could change depending on what happens this spring. So with that in mind, here are position battles Nationals fans should pay attention to throughout the spring training campaign this year.
Who Earns the Final Rotation Spot
Right now, barring injury, the four penciled in starters on paper appear to be Cade Cavalli, Foster Griffin, Miles Mikolas and Brad Lord. That leaves Jake Irvin, Mitchell Parker, Josiah Gray and other arms in camp to compete for the fifth spot.
Ideally, Gray returns from his long layoff and wins the final place in the rotation. He has the highest upside out of anyone in the mix, and that would allow Washington to move both Irvin and Parker into the bullpen if they wanted to give that unit a further boost.
This new regime appears like they are going to base their decisions on results, so if Gray is going to be part of the Opening Day rotation, then he'll have to perform well when he gets his opportunities. The same goes for the rest of the pitchers in the mix, which is why this battle is something to follow for fans.
How the Bullpen Shakes Out Before Opening Day
This was the weakest unit on paper heading into the offseason after they finished the 2025 campaign with the worst ERA in baseball. The front office didn't do much to address things early on, but an aggressive usage of the waiver wire, making trades and signing veterans to minor league contracts has given manager Blake Butera plenty of options to consider throughout the spring.
What direction the team decides to take will be interesting to see. There are some young pitchers in the mix if the front office wants to do evaluations for the future. The veterans could also impact winning at a higher rate. But, once again, performance seems like it's going to play a major part in how things shake out in the bullpen, which makes this competition interesting.
What This Catching Depth Chart Looks Like
When the Nationals traded for MLB-ready catching prospect Harry Ford, there was a thought he might unseat Keibert Ruiz and become the starter. However, Washington made it clear there are still plans for Ruiz, and it seems like he is the No. 1 option on the depth chart right now.
But a lot of things can change before then. Ruiz has struggled for years, and the added concussion worries don't help his cause. Ford will head out to compete in the World Baseball Classic for Great Britain, so that also could play a factor in the decision-making process.
Ultimately, it feels like Ruiz is going to be the Opening Day starter with either veteran Riley Adams or Ford backing him up. What happens after that is anyone's guess.
Who Plays First Base
Are the Nationals ready to move Luis Garcia Jr. over to first base from second? That's something they have to figure out this spring. They'll have Garcia doing work at both first and second during this ramp-up period. But whether they make a position change permanent or not isn't clear.
If Washington still is hesitant to make that move, then that leaves Andres Chaparro, Matt Mervis, Warming Bernabel, top 30 prospect Yohandy Morales and and new top 30 prospect Abimelec Ortiz -- who was acquired from the Texas Rangers in the MacKenzie Gore deal -- to compete for the spot at first base.
This is the most intriguing position battle for the Nationals. They have multiple options to choose from if Garcia isn't shifted over to the cold corner. And depending on what direction the franchise wants to take, new faces could keep popping up at first throughout the long season.
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