Washington Nationals Inconsistency Keeping Them From Reaching Next Level

The Washington Nationals are full of tantalizing potential.

Their roster is loaded with high-upside youngsters, some of whom have already begun to figure it out and make an impact at the Major League level.

Shortstop CJ Abrams was an All-Star in 2024 and before he landed on the injured list with a hip flexor issue, was taking his production to the next level. He had already hit four home runs with two doubles and four stolen bases in only 46 plate appearances for an impressive 141 OPS+.

The only player with a higher OPS+ on the team is left fielder James Wood with a 152. He is beginning to tap into his immense power potential with seven home runs and five doubles, adding three steals as he shows off his incredible athleticism for a person his size.

Catcher Keibert Ruiz, a former top prospect acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a trade, was under pressure to perform in 2025. He has answered the call with a .329/.378/.461 slash line with two home runs, four doubles and 13 RBI.

If the team can get second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. to regain the form he showed in 2024 and right fielder Dylan Crews starts realizing his incredible potential, this team will start to take off.

Especially with the performances they are getting on the mound.

Mitchell Parker, who beat out DJ Herz and Shinnosuke Ogasawara for the last spot in the starting rotation, has been dominant. His 1.7 WAR is the best in baseball. Through five starts, he is 3-1 with a 1.39 ERA across 32.1 innings with 20 strikeouts.

MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin have both been very good as well, giving the Nationals a nice trio to build around. Gore leads the MLB with 45 strikeouts in 29 innings and Irvin remains a reliable innings eater with 29.1 across five starts with a 3.68 ERA.

The pieces are there, but Washington remains in a similar spot in the power rankings over at The Athletic (subscription required) this week as they did at this time last year, showing very little year-over-year improvement.

They are ranked 26 in the most recent edition and were No. 25 a year ago.

But, unlike some of the other teams near the bottom of the rankings, their potential creates optimism that they won’t be here for long.

“Our year-over-year rankings suggest the Nationals have been pretty stagnant. And I’ll speak for myself here in saying that I want to believe in the Nats. More than most other teams in the bottom third of our power rankings, the Nationals have shown signs of future life,” wrote Chad Jennings of The Athletic.

An incredibly young and inexperienced team, consistency on the field is something that has evaded them to this point.

They have looked great at points, such as when they won four out of six games against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Dodgers, two legitimate National League contenders.

But, that was followed up by losing five out of seven games against the Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates, two teams not expected to make much noise in the NL playoff race this year.

The more games this group plays together, the more consistent they will become. Some meltdowns from the bullpen have also played a part in them being 10-13 at this point.

The Nationals are a handful of clean outings away from being over the .500 mark.