Last week, I wrote about three teams pretending to be contenders entering the 2025 season. In this article, let's review three teams that are primed to outperform their 2025 expectations and make a trip to the postseason.
Washington Nationals
Since their World Series win in 2019, the Nationals have failed to finish a season with a winning record. Their projected 2025 Opening Day roster is full of youth, with only five players over 30.
The offense is headed by 2023 No. 2 overall pick Dylan Crews. He struggled in a limited rookie season, hitting only .218/.288/.353 over 119 at-bats, but he proved in the minor leagues that he can produce at the plate.
Last season, before his MLB call-up between AA and AAA, he hit .270/.382/.451 with 13 HRs, 68 RBIs, and 25 SBs. He is still considered a rookie based on service time and is the overwhelming favorite to win the NL Rookie of the Year next season.
Dylan Crews today so far:
— Milb Central (@milb_central) August 13, 2023
3-3, 1B, 2 HR, 2R, 5 RBI
IT’S ONLY THE 4TH INNING 😳 pic.twitter.com/CoKVRTRGib
Fellow rookie James Wood had more success in his limited first MLB season. Over 295 at-bats, he hit .264/.354/.427 with nine home runs and 41 RBIs. He and Crews will be slotted into the top of the batting order along with 24-year-old CJ Abrams, 29-year-old Nathaniel Lowe, recently acquired from the Texas Rangers, and 32-year-old Josh Bell, who signed with the team in free agency.
This looks like a formidable top half of the lineup with 24-year-old Luis García Jr. behind them. Last season, García Jr. found his power, hitting 18 HRs, doubling the most in a season over his five-year career.
The Nationals' success will be tested by the starting rotation. Michael Soroka, signed in free agency this offseason, struggled in his only season for the Chicago White Sox. As a starter, he had a 6.39 ERA over 43.2 innings before being sent to the bullpen for the second half of the season. As a reliever, he shined, throwing 36 innings and recording a 2.75 ERA and 60 strikeouts.
The Nationals are banking on Soroka to bring that success along with his seven-year MLB experience to a rotation that saw ups and downs in 2024 from their young pitchers Mackenzie Gore (25), Jake Irvin (28), and Mitchell Parker (25).
Irvin and Parker completed their rookie seasons with sub-four ERAs, and Gore had a breakout season in his third year of MLB experience. His 3.90 ERA last season was heavily skewed by a cold streak in June (5.13) and July (7.62). There is no doubt that Gore is the ace of the rotation, and the Nationals will need him to perform as such, putting together a complete season of quality starts.
The team does not know what to expect from the bullpen next season, with four rookies projected to crack the Opening Day roster. Derek Law returns for his second season in Washington D.C. Last season, he posted a 2.60 ERA over 90 innings, and Jorge López, signed in free agency, posted a 2.89 ERA over 53 innings with the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets.
They will look to share their five and six years of MLB experience, respectively, with Jose A. Ferrer, who just completed his rookie season, and rookies Eduardo Salazar, Zach Brzylcy, Evan Reifert (Rule 5 pick from the Tampa Bay Rays), and Shinnosuke Ogasawara (international signing from Japan).
It will take a big turnaround to compete for a postseason spot in the NL East gauntlet, where the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, and New York Mets will still fight for the division title, but the pieces are in place the team to crash the party.