PLAYER REVIEW: JAKE IRVIN
Age on Opening Day 2025: 28
How acquired: Fourth round pick, 2018 MLB Draft
MLB service time: 1 years, 152 days
2024 salary: $745,600
PLAYER REVIEW: MACKENZIE GORE
Age on Opening Day 2025: 26
How acquired: Traded with CJ Abrams, James Wood, Robert Hassell III, Jarlin Susana and Luke Voit from Padres for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, August 2022
MLB service time: 3 years
2024 salary: $749,600
We’ve spent the last two weeks here running through all of the prominent position players on the Nationals, reviewing their 2024 performances and looking ahead to how they might (or might not) fit into the club’s 2025 plans. And we’ll transition to the pitching staff beginning Monday, first looking at the starters and then the primary relievers.
But to wrap up the position-player portion of this annual exercise, we still need to examine one more position on the roster: Backup catcher. And because two different players held that role this year, it seems appropriate to lump them in together and examine the overall state of the position.
Riley Adams has been the Nats’ main No. 2 catcher for three years now, and his amount of playing time has been remarkably consistent. He took 155 plate appearances over 48 games in 2022, then 158 over 44 games in 2023, then 130 over 41 games this season. And what’s been the biggest takeaway out of all that? He has neither hit consistently enough or shown enough behind the plate to warrant a permanent spot on the roster.
That certainly was the Nationals’ point of view this year, one in which they twice optioned a slumping Adams to Triple-A Rochester, including for the season’s final six weeks. The 28-year-old finished with an unimpressive .224/.292/.336 slash line, with five doubles, a triple, two homers and only eight RBIs. In the field, he ranked in the bottom third of all major league catchers in blocking, framing and pop time, and he threw out only three of 34 basestealers.
“I’ve said this before: Riley, when he consistently hits the ball, he can really help us against left-handed pitching,” manager Davey Martinez said after Adams’ second demotion this summer. “And he’s working on his catching again.”
PLAYER REVIEW: TREY LIPSCOMB
Age on Opening Day 2025: 24
How acquired: Third round pick, 2022 MLB Draft
MLB service time: 95 days
2024 salary: $740,000
PLAYER REVIEW: JOEY GALLO
Age on Opening Day 2025: 31
How acquired: Signed as free agent, January 2024
MLB service time: 8 years, 130 days
2024 salary: $2.5 million
PLAYER REVIEW: JOSÉ TENA
Age on Opening Day 2025: 24
How acquired: Traded with Alex Clemmey and Rafael Ramirez Jr. from Guardians for Lane Thomas, July 2024
MLB service time: 93 days
2024 salary: $740,000
PLAYER REVIEW: LUIS GARCÍA JR.
Age on Opening Day 2025: 24
How acquired: Signed as international free agent, July 2016
MLB service time: 3 years, 142 days
2024 salary: $1.95 million
Jacob Young is a Gold Glove Award finalist after his first full season in the big leagues, and the rookie center fielder stands a good chance of becoming the Nationals’ first winner of the award in a dozen years.
Young was officially named a finalist today, confirming he finished among the top three among all National League center fielders along with the Rockies’ Brenton Doyle and the Brewers’ Blake Perkins. Voting among NL managers and coaches already took place in late September, which accounts for 75 percent of the final tally. The remaining 25 percent is determined by a statistical component. Winners will be announced Nov. 3.
The Nats have had only two Gold Glove winners in their two decades in D.C.: third baseman Ryan Zimmerman in 2009 and first baseman Adam LaRoche in 2012. Young is well positioned to join that group and become the club’s first outfielder to be honored for defensive excellence.
The 25-year-old debuted late in the 2023 season and showed off some of his skills down the stretch. He actually didn’t make the Opening Day roster this season but was quickly recalled from Triple-A Rochester when Victor Robles suffered a hamstring injury. He wound up taking over the starting center field job and never gave it up, impacting several organizational decisions regarding other, longer-tenured players.
According to Baseball Savant, Young finished the season with 20 Outs Above Average, tied with Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez for most among all major leaguers, regardless of position. His 18 Runs Prevented led all big leaguers and represented the highest number posted in that statistical category since 2019.
PLAYER REVIEW: CJ ABRAMS
Age on Opening Day 2025: 24
How acquired: Traded with James Wood, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell III, Jarlin Susana and Luke Voit from Padres for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, August 2022
MLB service time: 2 years, 130 days
2024 salary: $752,400
PLAYER REVIEW: KEIBERT RUIZ
Age on Opening Day 2025: 26
How acquired: Traded with Josiah Gray, Donovan Casey and Gerardo Carrillo from Dodgers for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner, July 2021
MLB service time: 3 years, 64 days
2024 salary: $6 million
PLAYER REVIEW: NASIM NUÑEZ
Age on Opening Day 2025: 24
How acquired: Rule 5 Draft, 2023
MLB service time: 1 year
2024 salary: $740,000
PLAYER REVIEW: ILDEMARO VARGAS
Age on Opening Day 2025: 33
How acquired: Signed as minor league free agent, May 2022
MLB service time: 5 years, 7 days
2024 salary: $1.1 million
PLAYER REVIEW: ANDRÉS CHAPARRO
Age on Opening Day 2025: 25
How acquired: Traded from Diamondbacks for Dylan Floro, July 2024
MLB service time: 49 days
2024 salary: $740,000
PLAYER REVIEW: JUAN YEPEZ
Age on Opening Day 2025: 27
How acquired: Signed as minor league free agent, December 2023
MLB service time: 1 year, 105 days
2024 salary: $740,000
PLAYER REVIEW: DYLAN CREWS
Age on Opening Day 2025: 23
How acquired: First-round pick, 2023 Draft
MLB service time: 35 days
2024 salary: $740,000
PLAYER REVIEW: JACOB YOUNG
Age on Opening Day 2025: 25
How acquired: Seventh-round pick, 2021 Draft
MLB service time: 1 year, 37 days
2024 salary: $740,000
PLAYER REVIEW: JAMES WOOD
Age on Opening Day 2025: 22
How acquired: Traded with CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell III, Jarlin Susana and Luke Voit from Padres for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, August 2022
MLB service time: 91 days
2024 salary: $740,000
We've been doing these Opening Day media predictions for 15 years now, and I'm always grateful to my colleagues on the Nationals beat for their willingness to participate and subject themselves to the inevitable ridicule that follows.
And there's definitely some ridicule to be doled out as we look back at our 2024 predictions. (Hey, I'm just as guilty as anyone!) A lot of things did not play out this season as any of us thought they would back in late March. But we weren't completely wrong on every category. There actually were several spot-on predictions by several members of the beat, and they deserve credit for being right.
And with that, it's time for some accountability. Here's a look back at all of our Opening Day predictions, what we got right and what we did not get right ...
WHICH NATIONALS WILL BE SELECTED FOR THE ALL-STAR GAME?
Bobby Blanco (MASNsports.com) – CJ Abrams
Jessica Camerato (MLB.com) – CJ Abrams
Craig Heist (106.7 The Fan) – Josiah Gray, Keibert Ruiz
Chelsea Janes (Washington Post) – CJ Abrams
Andrew Golden (Washington Post) – MacKenzie Gore
Bill Ladson (MLB.com honorary) – Josiah Gray, Jake Irvin
Spencer Nusbaum (Washington Post) – MacKenzie Gore
Mark Zuckerman (MASNsports.com) – Kyle Finnegan
Correct answer: CJ Abrams was set to be the Nationals’ lone All-Star this year, the first selection of his career, after his outstanding first half. Then on the day before the Midsummer Classic, Kyle Finnegan was added to the National League roster to replace Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, giving the Nats two All-Stars.
Go back and peruse some random Nationals lineups from 2022, and you’re likely to find a lot of names who aren’t here anymore, many of them veterans in the waning days of their careers.
Move ahead to 2023, and you’ll find a few more promising young players, the so-called first wave of prospects who either were acquired via trade or drafted and developed from within. You’ll also still find a number of veteran stopgaps who have since departed.
The same was actually true early in 2024. Lest anyone forget, the Nats’ Opening Day lineup included the likes of Jesse Winker, Joey Meneses, Joey Gallo and Eddie Rosario, with Nick Senzel a planned part of that group until he fractured his thumb in pregame warmups.
By season’s end, though, the transformation was finally complete. The Nationals’ regular lineup was built almost entirely with young players, most of them at least potential long-term solutions.
James Wood, Dylan Crews and Jacob Young didn’t make the team out of spring training, but they were everyday players by Game 162. Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz weren’t in the Opening Day rotation, but they were trusted stalwarts before long.
It feels a bit like ancient history at this point, but it’s worth remembering the Nationals were consistently one of baseball’s highest-spending clubs for nearly a decade. For nine consecutive seasons from 2013-21, their year-end payroll ranked among the top 10 in the majors, peaking in 2019 at more than $205 million (fourth-highest in the sport).
That all changed in July 2021 when the franchise tore down its aging roster and embarked on a rebuild that continues to this day. The Nats ranked 18th in year-end payroll in 2022, 22nd in 2023 and 24th this season, according to figures calculated by Spotrac.
The organization’s approach to the last three offseasons was clear: The major league roster would be filled with short-term solutions while everyone waited for a revamped farm system to start producing the next wave of big leaguers. The Nationals spent a total of $22.25 million on major league free agents prior to the 2022 season, another $22.25 million entering 2023 and only $9.25 million entering this season. Only one player signed a guaranteed multi-year contract: Trevor Williams (two years, $13 million).
While frustrating to many, and subject to plenty of criticism, the approach was grounded in some actual baseball logic: It made little sense to spend big money on free agents until enough prospects made it to the big leagues and the team was ready to actually “go for it” again.
That logic was justified each of the last three winters. It’s not justified this time around.
