The Washington Nationals are in an offensive funk, dropping from one game above .500 to three games below .500 in five of their last six games. He has scored two points or fewer in eight of the team's last 14 games. Every team has 13 of his position players on their roster, and the best teams have multiple All-Stars in their lineups.
The average corner restaurant kitchen may have several intermediate cooks. To take the next step, you need to focus on quality over quantity. Many people aspire to be a Michelin-starred chef. People who want to be great strive for it. Finding Alain Ducasse is like finding Juan Soto. There are very few of them. Before Ducasse was recognized with the Michelin accolade, he started as an apprentice at Pavillon Landay at the age of 16 and worked his way up from there, much like Soto did in the Dominican Republic Summer League.
Greatness is all part of the process. James Wood played rec ball in Olney, Maryland, when he was 6 years old, and joined the Olney Pirates travel team at age 16, long before playing for the St. John's Cadets in high school in Washington, D.C., and later with the American Transferred to the football club. Prestigious IMG Academy in Florida. He is currently the No. 5 prospect in all of baseball. MLB Pipeline's new rankings It was published this week.
Wood, 21, is ready to make his MLB debut, former Nats GM Jim Bowden said. “There's no good reason in baseball not to promote him.” Well, the reason is that the kitchen is full, Jim. Who will leave and who will lose playing time to make room for Wood? Plus, Lane Thomas should be back from his 10-day IL in about two weeks. Yes, with Eddie Rosario in LF, Jacob Young in CF, and Wood in RF, it makes a lot of sense for Jesse Winker to shift to DH for Monday's game against the Twins. But tell me this, if Lane Thomas is ready to return for the series against Cleveland on Friday, May 31st, who will leave then?
Currently, there are four outfielders: Rosales, Young, Victor Robles, and Winker. They could add Wood, or maybe it's time to part ways with Robles to make room. But what happens when Thomas is ready to return? This is where the soup gets a little cloudy to match the perfect soufflé. Yes, it takes molecules of steam to rise to the top in a soufflé. This process is important to ensure that natural separation occurs at all times. This is not survival of the fittest, but the time has come to make difficult decisions.
None of these short-term decisions take into account Dylan Cruz, who is seven months older than Wood. Cruz, who was selected by the Washington Nationals with the No. 2 pick in the draft last year, has only played professional baseball for less than a year. MLB Pipeline ranks Cruz second in all of baseball behind Wood. Yes, Cruz also plays the outfield. Too much talent should never be a problem. Or if you think that's a problem, it's a good problem. We've all seen the 2026 Nats outfield projections from Wood, Crews, and Robert Hassell III. Don't sell Young short.
“We're not going to block [top prospects]But if we're lucky enough to have a bunch of guys knocking on the big league door, it's going to be a good day for us here. ”
“[Top prospects] Let me know when they're ready to play on the field. We've never had a problem moving players to the big leagues right away if they can perform there, and we have no hesitation in putting them there now. ”
— general manager Mike Rizzo said at winter meetings about five months ago.
Okay, Liz, Wood is knocking on Maple's door. In this case, the sound of leather hitting maple wood is loud and can be heard without the need for volume-up techniques. Just listen and you'll understand.
Wood has a .346 batting average and a .1042 OPS so far in the Triple-A season. In spring training, Wood led all of baseball. The only thing Wood has to prove is that he can hit MLB pitchers consistently.
“There are some [top prospects] I think those will come and provide some power as well. … We're in a tough spot because we want to get our young guys up here and we don't want to take too many spots away from them when they're ready — and yet we're still competing in the big leagues. level that must be met. “
— Coach Dave Martinez said during winter meetings.
Although these words from Rizzo and Martinez were before Wood dominated in spring training, to the surprise of many, Rizzo still signed Rosario to a $2 million plus bonus package in mid-March. tied. There were plenty of other quotes to justify ejecting Wood while he was in spring training, but maybe Rizzo was being cautious. But he had too many cooks in the kitchen. And on top of Rosario's hot week with a .179 batting average and .616 OPS, and the hot two weeks before Winker's back started barking, the team's overall power production has been abysmal, with a .616 OPS. He ranks first on the team with 348. The team is the third-worst team in baseball, sitting in last place with just 14 points. His batting average is .223, the fourth-worst in baseball, which explains why the Nationals are fourth-worst in runs scored. If Miami's offensive outburst is quelled, the Nationals will be at the bottom of the NL.
So let's move on to what's working. The only reason the Nationals are close to .500 is because of their pitching, which puts the team in the top half of baseball in earned run average. However, there were some defensive issues last night as well. Jake Irvin didn't have the best stuff, but he pitched like a bulldog. He pitched well enough to win with good defense, and his teammates gave him a ton of points.
On defense, two plays stood out. With two outs in the first inning, Rosario, who was playing in right field, couldn't react quickly to the corner ball and didn't have the skill to prevent the runner on first base from scoring. In the second inning, Keibert Ruiz played poorly on another important play. A wild pitch resulted in two points being taken away.
What is going on in Lewis's head in the left frame? He should have moved his body into a more athletic position, so there is no reaction. He demanded he throw a curveball. He knew what was going to happen and the movements on the pitch. Ball speed was just 82.6 mph. But he didn't react until it was too late. From Lewis' point of view the ball was traveling from left to right, but he did not move as the ball was clearly heading towards his right knee. He lunged at the last second and instead of moving his body, he leaned over and tried to forehand the ball with his mitts – obviously bad form – at least when it was a backhand play – then he had a chance There would have been. It was a curveball from a right-hander, not a left-hander. What was going on in Lewis' head? That led to two points.
In two paragraphs, I introduced two plays that led to three points. The same can be said about the Phillies defense that led to the Nats' two points. Both of the Nats' scores came on doubles that were within inches of being caught in the outfield. That's baseball. In fact, he has eight defenders who pitchers also have to play on offense. This is an ongoing chess game where managers compete for the right moves and use analysis to create optimal configurations.
Other teams understand Rosario is a good left fielder who shouldn't play right field, and defensive metrics have long shown the Nationals have the worst defensive catcher. . From Luis Garcia Jr.'s mistakes at shortstop in 2022 to a vastly improved defense in 2023, this 2024 team has allowed too many points conceded (DRS) from poor defense. In fact, it probably would have been even better if the Nats pitched better. defense. Only San Diego is worse than Washington in runs allowed by a catcher, but if the Nats believe Drew Millas is a good defensive catcher, maybe it's time to make some changes.
There's enough analysis to show that Rosario should play left field, which is league average, by the way, giving up -2.0 runs in center field. Robles actually runs +2.0 in right field and -1.0 in center field. Midfielder Young is +4.0. Why is there a question about the positioning of the outfield?
Anyway, we have regained balance. Give your team the best chance to win.
