PLAYER REVIEW: TRES BARRERA
Age on opening day 2023: 28
How acquired: Sixth-round pick, 2016 draft
MLB service time: 172 days
2022 salary: $700,000
PLAYER REVIEW: ALEX CALL
Age on opening day 2023: 28
How acquired: Claimed off waivers from Guardians, August 2022
MLB service time: 74 days
2022 salary: $700,000
PLAYER REVIEW: RILEY ADAMS
Age on opening day 2023: 26
How acquired: Traded from Blue Jays for Brad Hand, July 2021
MLB service time: 1 year, 49 days
2022 salary: $706,700
One current Nationals outfielder and one former Nationals outfielder were named Gold Glove Award finalists this afternoon, with Victor Robles and Juan Soto sharing that distinction despite no longer being teammates.
Robles is a finalist among National League center fielders, joining the Padres’ Trent Grisham and Diamondbacks’ Alek Thomas. Soto is a finalist among NL right fielders, joining the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts and the Diamondbacks’ Daulton Varsho.
Gold Glove Awards are selected via a combination of analytics and a vote among managers and coaches, all of which are submitted prior to the end of the regular season. The top three finishers at each position in each league are considered finalists, with the winners set to be announced Nov. 1, prior to Game 4 of the World Series.
This is the second time Robles has been named a finalist, coming three years after his breakthrough rookie season in 2019. He stands a good chance of winning this time, given the fact his 12 Defensive Runs Saved led all NL center fielders and ranked behind only the Royals’ Michael A. Taylor (another former teammate) and the Guardians’ Myles Straw among all major leaguers at his position.
Robles also recorded an NL-high seven outfield assists, though he was charged with six errors (also an NL-high).
PLAYER REVIEW: YADIEL HERNANDEZ
Age on opening day 2023: 35
How acquired: Signed as international free agent, October 2016
MLB service time: 2 years, 28 days
2022 salary: $714,000
PLAYER REVIEW: NELSON CRUZ
Age on opening day 2023: 42
How acquired: Signed as free agent, March 2022
MLB service time: 15 years, 82 days
2022 salary: $12 million
PLAYER REVIEW: VICTOR ROBLES
Age on opening day 2023: 25
How acquired: Signed as international free agent, July 2013
MLB service time: 4 years, 33 days
2022 salary: $1.65 million
PLAYER REVIEW: LANE THOMAS
Age on opening day 2023: 27
How acquired: Traded from Cardinals for Jon Lester, July 2021
MLB service time: 3 years, 14 days
2022 salary: $723,600
PLAYER REVIEW: CÉSAR HERNÁNDEZ
Age on opening day 2023: 32
How acquired: Signed as free agent, November 2021
MLB service time: 8 years, 154 days
2022 salary: $4 million
PLAYER REVIEW: ILDEMARO VARGAS
Age on opening day 2023: 31
How acquired: Signed as minor league free agent, May 2022
MLB service time: 3 years, 7 days
2022 salary: $700,000
PLAYER REVIEW: KEIBERT RUIZ
Age on opening day 2023: 24
How acquired: Traded from Dodgers with Josiah Gray, Donovan Casey and Gerardo Carrillo for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner, July 2021
MLB service time: 1 year, 64 days
2022 salary: $701,300
PLAYER REVIEW: LUKE VOIT
Age on opening day 2023: 32
How acquired: Traded from Padres with MacKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams, Robert Hassell III, James Wood and Jarlin Susana for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, August 2022
MLB service time: 4 years, 169 days
2022 salary: $5.45 million
PLAYER REVIEW: CJ ABRAMS
Age on opening day 2023: 22
How acquired: Traded from Padres with MacKenzie Gore, Luke Voit, Robert Hassell III, James Wood and Jarlin Susana for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, August 2022
MLB service time: 131 days
2022 salary: $700,000
PLAYER REVIEW: LUIS GARCÍA
Age on opening day 2023: 22
How acquired: Signed as international free agent, July 2016
MLB service time: 1 year, 164 days
2022 salary: $700,000
PLAYER REVIEW: JOEY MENESES
Age on opening day 2023: 30
How acquired: Signed as minor league free agent, January 2022
MLB service time: 65 days
2022 salary: $700,000
We always knew the Nationals weren't going to be good this season. We just had no idea how bad it would get, not only in terms of their 55-107 record, but the fact they traded Juan Soto in early August in an attempt to completely revamp their farm system.
Sometimes, it's tougher to predict how a bad season will play out than a good one. That certainly was the case for me and my colleagues on the Nationals beat, who attempted way back on April 7 to guess how things would go this year and in most cases failed miserably.
There were a few spot-on predictions, but plenty more swings and misses, as you'll see below. As has been our tradition since we first made these predictions in 2010, we always come back to revisit them after the season ends, just to show everyone out there how misguided we were all along ...
WHICH NATIONALS WILL BE SELECTED FOR THE ALL-STAR GAME?
Bobby Blanco (MASNsports.com) - Juan Soto
Jessica Camerato (MLB.com) - Juan Soto
Jesse Dougherty (Washington Post) - Juan Soto
Andrew Golden (Washington Post) - Juan Soto
Craig Heist (106.7 The Fan) - Josh Bell, Nelson Cruz
Chelsea Janes (Washington Post) - Keibert Ruiz, Juan Soto
Pete Kerzel (MASNsports.com) - Juan Soto
Bill Ladson (MLB.com honorary) - Juan Soto
Mark Zuckerman (MASNsports.com) - Juan Soto
We know the 2022 season wasn’t a success for the Nationals at the major league level. Was it at least at the minor league level?
It certainly was a season of improvement, not that the organization had anywhere to go but up.
The Nats entered 2021 with the lowest-ranked farm system in baseball according to MLB Pipeline. They moved up from No. 30 to No. 23 entering 2022, thanks to their July trades of Max Scherzer, Trea Turner and others, plus the drafting of Brady House and signing of top Dominican prospect Cristhian Vaquero.
Then came the 2022 trade deadline, and the blockbuster deal that sent Juan Soto and Josh Bell to San Diego for six players, five of whom were among the Padres’ top ranked prospects. That influx of talent, coupled with the drafting of Elijah Green, brought the Nationals’ ranking up to No. 15, the highest this system has been regarded in some time.
“I think our system’s different right now than it was a year ago,” general manager Mike Rizzo said. “I think it’s deeper. We’ve had two what I believe are successful trade deadline acquisition periods. We’ve had two successful drafts. We’ve done a good job in the international market. I think that our prospect depth is as good as it’s ever been here in the organization, and I think that the upside of our prospect list is probably the highest it’s ever been.”
NEW YORK – There is no way to sugarcoat a 55-107 season, no silver lining to setting a club record for losses, no justifying the worst record in baseball.
This was, undoubtedly, the worst of the Nationals’ 18 seasons since they arrived in the District in 2005. They lost more games than the awful 2008-09 teams. The rotation’s 5.97 ERA was far worse than the dreadful 2006 (5.37) or 2020 (5.38) starters’ numbers. Their 17-59 record and .224 winning percentage against the National League East was not only the worst in club history, it was the worst in major league history since divisional play began in 1969.
Oh, and they also traded away a 22-year-old generational star, not because they didn’t want him, but because they believed it was the only way they could restock a farm system that was barren because of their own inability to draft and develop future big leaguers over much of the last decade.
How could the Nationals try to claim the 2022 season was successful? They can’t.
What they can do, and what they are trying to do, is believe this rock-bottom season was a necessary step toward something better in the future. That by losing to this extent now and refocusing efforts on rebuilding that barren farm system, they will be in a better position to win again sooner than they would be if they didn’t take this drastic step backward.
NEW YORK – The worst season in Nationals history ended tonight with another rain delay, another disastrous performance by a starting pitcher and another lopsided loss to a division opponent.
A 9-2 loss to the Mets in Game 162, which began 1 hour and 51 minutes late due to rain, almost felt too appropriate to be true.
It was a fitting conclusion to a miserable season for the Nationals, who finish with a 55-107 record, worst since the franchise arrived in D.C. in 2005.
That includes an abysmal 17-59 record against NL East opponents, a .224 winning percentage that is now the lowest for any major league franchise since divisional play began in 1969, a mark previously held by the 1987 Orioles, who went 18-60 in the AL East for a .231 winning percentage. They were a far more respectable 38-48 against everyone outside the division.
"Our season's over right now, for the players," manager Davey Martinez said. "But the work is just beginning for myself, (general manager Mike Rizzo) and the front office. We've got a lot of work to do. I'm looking forward to this winter, getting things done, and then getting ready for spring training."
NEW YORK – The Nationals limp into Game 162 of the season with a battered and bruised lineup that won’t include CJ Abrams, Victor Robles or Nelson Cruz.
Abrams and Robles both are sitting after departing games from Tuesday’s doubleheader with injuries. Abrams jammed his left shoulder trying to make a diving catch of a ball at shortstop. Robles felt his right calf tighten up as he ran out a double to deep left field.
Abrams got an MRI this morning, and though he was still waiting for results this afternoon, the rookie said he was feeling better and wasn’t overly concerned about any long-term issue. Robles said his calf still felt a little stiff, so manager Davey Martinez decided not to take a chance with either, even if it means he’s disappointed to write out a depleted lineup card for the final game of the season.
“Oh, absolutely,” he said. “Plus, some of our younger guys, I wanted to continue to see them play, especially the last game. But unfortunately, that’s sometimes how this game rolls. The good news is that they’re both going to be fine moving forward, and they’ll be ready for spring training.”
Also absent from the lineup again is Cruz, who hasn’t played since Sept. 13 due to a left eye infection that never fully healed to the point the 42-year-old was comfortable facing live pitching for fear of blurry vision.
