Washington Nationals Offense Must Excel Amid Starting Pitching Concerns

Will the batting order be good enough to make up for lackluster pitching staff

Sep 28, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore (1) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Nationals Park. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals have entered Spring Training and will be hopeful to take a step forward as a franchise in 2025.

There have been a lot of losses in recent years for the Nationals, but the light finally seems to be getting closer at the end of the long rebuilding tunnel.

A lot of credit has to go to the patience that Washington has showcased with their rebuild. They have avoided trying to put band-aids on problems with multi-year deals that might end up being regrets in the future.

Not only do the Nationals have a lot of young talent, but they also have some excellent payroll flexibility. This is a great position to be in for the future, but there are still plenty of question marks in the near term.

Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic recently spoke about what the biggest question for the Nationals will be with the season right around the corner. He highlighted the strength of the batting order, but the lackluster talent in the starting rotation.

“Whether the Nationals pitching staff can hold up, healthy and effective in an incredibly difficult division, is another pressing question — with a depressing answer: probably not — but at least the bats will be worth watching.”

The development of players like CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. in 2024 resulted in a lot of optimism about what this lineup is going to look like in the next couple of years. Throw in top prospects Dylan Crews and James Wood—both expecting to be Opening Day starters and Washington could have one of the best young lineups in baseball.

However, while there is a lot of reason to be excited about the batting order for the Nationals, the starting rotation doesn’t create the same feeling.

Currently, MacKenzie Gore appears as he will be the ace of the staff, followed by Mitchell Parker. These two young southpaws performed well in 2024, but neither flashed the All-Star potential yet that the organization would have liked to see. However, additional time in 2025 might be what the two southpaws need to reach the next level.

Compared to the plethora of young talent, some of which have already either made the All-Star team or shown All-Star potential, the lineup feels way ahead of the starting rotation at this point of the rebuild.

This might have been a reason why the organization elected not to spend on free agents long-term again this winter. The reason is that it gives them another year to evaluate what they have in terms of pitching, rather than making a hasty decision.

Overall, the rotation certainly feels behind the lineup in the rebuild and this will be an important year for many young arms to prove what they can do.

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