The 2024 Washington Nationals season has been one of future possibilities.
So far, the team has played 12 rookies (seven position players plus five pitchers) with some debuts being highly anticipated (James Wood) and others being surprisingly successful (Mitchell Parker).
This week, another prime prospect is expected to play his first big league game: Dylan Crews was picked second overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, and after hitting .292 over 35 games over three levels last year, he continued his rapid ascent in 2024.
He drove in 38 runs over 51 games at AA Harrisburg before batting .265 with eight homers and 30 RBI in 49 games with AAA Rochester. The 22-year-old originally was deemed the centerfielder of the future (106 of his 135 minor league games have come at CF). That was until the emergence of Jacob Young this season at the big league level, and now appears to be a future fixture (along with ex-centerfielder James Wood) in one of the corner spots. His success in moving into the Major League lineup will help determine if the Nationals will remain pretenders or become contenders in 2025.
Digesting the Division: Philadelphia (76-54) took two of three games over the weekend in Kansas City as Kyle Schwarber scored twice while driving in three runs in Sunday’s 11-3 finale. Since arriving in Philly via Free Agency the former National (albeit briefly in 2021), he is averaging 45 homers and 104 RBI per 162 games played the past three seasons.
Atlanta (70-60) remains six games back and is in the third Wild Card spot despite losing another key cog to injury. Third baseman Austin Riley has batted second (37 games) or third (52 games) for the bulk of the season and is on the injured list with a broken hand.
The New York Mets (68-63) may be two and a half games out of the final playoff spot but they aren’t going away quietly, posting a pair of walk-off wins over Baltimore (with ex-National Jesse Winker delivering the game and series-winning homer Wednesday).
Washington (59-72), despite the progress made this year, actually has a worse record than they did on this day (60-69) last year. Miami (47-83) isn’t eliminated yet, but the Marlins’ tragic number in the division is four, ten for the Wild Card.
Break up the Birds: Baltimore (76-56) split their series with Houston, getting some clutch hitting in their potential playoff preview over the weekend with Anthony Santander belting a grand slam Friday and Jackson Holliday delivering a bases loaded double the next night. This kind of takes the sting out of dropping two of three at the Mets in walk-off fashion. Don’t look now, but one season after going 30-16 in one-run games the O’s are 13-16 in those games this year.
Diamonds Direct Diamond King: Patrick Corbin has been much-maligned over the last few seasons, as his fortunes mirrored those of a once-contending Nats team that went from perennial contender to regular resident in the NL East Cellar. His six-year contract that seemed like a bargain during 2019 (14-7 with a 3.25 ERA while posting the win in Game Seven of the World Series) turned into an albatross (30-69 with an ERA of 5.64 since the championship).
The pursuit of the milestone 100th Major League win became more of a millstone as the left-hander posted an ERA of 8.50 in the first five starts after reaching No. 99. But on one afternoon, Corbin dialed up the previous decade, allowing one run over six innings to reach the century mark in career victories. And while we don’t know his future after 2024 when his contract expires, we enjoy tipping our cap to Patrick one more time.
Last Week’s Heroes: Rookie Mitchell Parker allowed one run over seven innings while posting his seventh victory of the season while fellow rookie DJ Herz allowed three runs over 10.2 frames. Jose Ferrer shined in the bullpen, tossing two and a third scoreless innings over four outings. Luis Garcia Jr. batted .316 with a team-high four RBI while centerfielder Jacob Young hit .333 while remaining a defensive dynamo.
Last Week’s Humbled: Joey Gallo in his first full week back batted .167 while C.J. Abrams hit .261 from the top of the order with nine strikeouts and had a costly error in Friday’s extra-innings loss. Joan Adon allowed two runs in one inning of work.
Game to Watch: Any guesses? Of course, we’re thinking about Monday night against the New York Yankees as Dylan Crews makes his big league debut. Also, James Wood set the bar somewhat high by getting a hit in his first Major League game while also sustaining his play with 30 RBI in his first 48 games, but as mentioned it’s a big night in D.C. as another potential piece for playoff contention arrives on the puzzle board.
Game to Miss: Saturday, the Nats play the Chicago Cubs at 4:05 p.m., or right smack in the middle of the first full Saturday of the college football season (note that we do NOT count “Week Zero” and won’t until they come up with a better name like “Kickoff Weekend”). Maryland-UConn, Virginia-Richmond, Navy-Bucknell, Virginia Tech-Vanderbilt, and even Georgetown-Davidson take precedence.
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