Washington Nationals Rising Star Showing Flashes of Elite Talent at Spring Training

The Washington Nationals have breakout stars all over the diamond, and one infielder has been showing flashes of elite batting prowess during spring training.

Washington Nationals shortstop Nasim Nunez hits the ball into play against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals have all sorts of young talent in their farm system heading into the 2025 season, and many of these players have had opportunities to showcase their skillsets during spring training this year. Players like Dylan Crews and James Wood look primed for strong seasons this year, among many of the top prospects from around the Nationals minor league teams.

One player who has somewhat gone under the radar so far this spring is Nasim Nuñez, who has been absolutely spectacular in the chances he has been given. At only 24 years old, he is still younger than many players with his level of experience, having been in the minor leagues since the Miami Marlins selected him in the 2019 MLB draft.

He would ultimately end up moving on from the Marlins in 2023 when the Nationals would select him via the Rule 5 draft, and he would end up making the opening day roster. Despite this, he would not get his first opportunity at the MLB level until 2024, where he would play in 51 games and produce .246/.370/.262 slash lines with 14 runs, eight stolen bases, 15 strikeouts to 12 walks, and an RBI.

Unfortunately despite being able to make relatively consistent contact, he struggled to produce in the other aspects of his offensive game. Additionally, his fielding was not making up for it, with five errors in 212.1 innings played, which made it hard to justify keeping him around as a starter.

Now in 2025, he has been given 12 games to appear in during spring training, and in those appearances he has had .450/.542/.500 slash lines, with nine runs, thee RBI, only one strikeout to three walks, and six stolen bases. As is clear by his previous seasons of play, he is extremely fast on the basepaths, with runs and stolen bases being his primary form of contribution.

However, this spring he has shown an ability to really make contact with the ball, as nine hits and 10 total bases in 20 at bats is a strong performance. This was one of the biggest issues for him in his first trip up to the big leagues, and it seems he has found his stride over the course of the offseason.

While it may be difficult for him to find a roster spot, given his two primary positions of second base and shortstop are taken by other young talents (CJ Abrams and Luis García Jr.), he could be a possible roster player as a pinch runner, with upside to spare throughout the season.