Washington Nationals Skipper Pleased With Offensive Approach This Spring

This spring has seen the Washington Nationals improve their approach at the plate, something that is making their skipper happy when it comes to the progress that's being made.

Jul 2, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez (4) smiles in the dugout before a game against the New York Mets at Nationals Park | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Spring games might not matter when it comes to wins and losses, but for the Washington Nationals, this is an important time for the players to implement the right habits that will carry over into the regular season.

And it's an important regular season for the Nationals.

Their years of rebuild have led them to this point; having a roster full of rising stars and talented prospects who are competing at the Major League level together at the same time.

If everything goes as planned, Washington will be a contender for the next decade-plus.

But that requires virtually all of their young players to hit their respective ceilings, something that is always easier said than done, especially when it comes to the game of baseball.

That's why Dave Martinez is happy with what he's seen so far this spring.

While they've only completed four games thus far, the offense was red-hot during the first three contests, scoring six runs against the Houston Astros, 11 against the New York Mets and 14 against the Miami Marlins before getting shutout against the Astros on Wednesday.

"They're starting to get it. As I've said before, for some of the young guys, it takes a little time," the skipper said per Mark Zuckerman of MASN.

Robert Hassell III has been impressive, going 5-for-11 in his four games with a homer, two doubles and five RBI. Dylan Crews is hitting .500 with a triple and an RBI. Luis Garcia Jr. is continuing his strong showing from 2025 by getting two hits in four at-bats. And Jacob Young has hit a homer while going 3-for-6 during his three games, something that bodes well for the future.

"We're really preaching getting good pitches to hit. We're getting balls in the zone, and we're making good contact, which is great. That's what we're talking about: We've got to have better swing decisions. And the last couple days, I've seen a lot better decision-making when the ball's in the zone," Martinez added.

They need that to continue after Opening Day.

Last year, the Nationals were 16th in batting average (.243) and 17th in on-base percentage (.309), but were also 26th in slugging percentage (.375) and strikeouts (1,220), while also ranking 25th in RBI (621) and second-last in homers (135).

That resulted in them producing the 25th-most runs in the MLB with 660.

Those numbers make it hard to compete in any division, let alone one that expects to have three World Series contenders this season.

While Washington isn't expecting to reach the Fall Classic themselves, they know improvements have to be made if they're going to get to that point again.

So far, the players have done exactly that.

The next step is continuing to do this throughout the rest of spring training and during the 162-game schedule.