Washington Nationals Rising Star Knows He Has To Improve in Key Area
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The Washington Nationals seem to have the outfield of their future with top prospects Jacob Young, James Wood, and Dylan Crews all playing together on a Major League diamond this season.
The latter two were always seen as potential cornerstones of the franchise, so it was no surprise when they were called up for their debuts, but Young has become a surprising revelation for the Nationals, taking his opportunity back in April and locking down a roster spot for the remainder of 2024 when he performed well above expectations.
Young's defensive prowess already has him in the Gold Glove conversation after his rookie year, and that's something that is expected to continue as long as he's patrolling center field.
However, there is one key area he needs to improve upon or else he could be lose his designation as an everyday player, something he knows heading into the offseason.
"Defense can definitely help, but everyone has to hit. There's a lot of great defenders out there who didn't stay in the league because they couldn't hit. It’s something you've just got to do. Of course I want to be seen as not just a defender. I want to be seen as a guy who can play every day and produce offense, too. Obviously, baserunning goes into a lot of that, too. But being able to produce with the bat itself is huge," Young said per Mark Zuckerman of MASN.
This comes after the rising star finished with an OPS+ of 86 and a wRC+ of 85, both figures that were under the league average by double-digits.
Because his defense was so good with a defensive bWAR of 1.6 and being worth an incredible 21 Outs Above Average throughout the campaign, Washington penciled him into the lineup without a second thought as the organization was giving their young players more experience.
But when they are ready to compete once again, Young will need to bring something at the plate.
He knows that, aware of the history where glove-first players across the league see their role reduced because they can't produce offensively.
Manager Dave Martinez is confident that Young can become a threat on offense, and because the rising star's defense is elite, he doesn't need to swing the bat at a prolific level, he just has to be around the league average.
This will be something to keep an eye on heading into 2025 and throughout the season, especially if his offensive struggles continue.
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