New-look infield turning heads early in camp; Susana faces top hitters

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Two days into full-squad workouts, more than a few observers have noticed a crispness to the Nationals’ infield defense that wasn’t always there last year.

With middle infielders CJ Abrams and Luis García Jr. returning, now joined on the corners by Nathaniel Lowe and Paul DeJong, the unit as a whole looks sharper than it did last season.

“We’ve got to catch the baseball. We talk about it all the time,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We were really good in the beginning, and toward the second half we were not good at all. We’ve got to be consistent, and I think with the guys we brought in … they’re going to help our young guys.”

Lowe takes over at first base, already the proud owner of a Gold Glove Award from 2023 when he was with the Rangers. DeJong, just signed this week, doesn’t look inexperienced at third base, even though he only moved there from shortstop in the middle of the 2024 season.

Abrams is still working on his fielding mechanics and can look a bit stiff at times, but the organization believes the All-Star shortstop is primed to make significant strides after his second half struggles last season.

“There has to be a separation between the hitting and defense,” Martinez said. “So when you’re hitting, focus on hitting. When you go out in the field … we had a lot of guys who did well in the beginning, not so well the second half. I think a lot of our young guys forgot how to separate that. You’ve got to go out and play defense. That’s going to go away. I think these guys understand we’ve got to be able to separate it.”

Martinez also sees improvement from José Tena, who had to learn third base on the fly late last season after spending his minor league career mostly up the middle. And veteran Amed Rosario looks comfortable wherever they put him on the field, with a distinct possibility he’ll see some time in the outfield this year.

The biggest positive development, though, may be at second base. One year ago, García was seemingly on the hot seat every day during spring training, with Martinez openly criticizing his defensive struggles and suggesting he was no lock to make the Opening Day roster. Now, García is firmly entrenched as the everyday second baseman but still reporting to spring training as if he needs to re-prove himself.

“Luis is in a different place,” Martinez said. “I’ve seen a big jump in his maturity so far this spring. He’s got a plan moving forward. I think he learned a lot about what he can really be last year, and he’s really taken it upon himself to come to camp and start where he left off. …

“Before, I had to get all over him every day to stay engaged. He’s been engaged so far this spring.”

* Today’s round of live batting practice saw most of the lineup regulars face three big arms: MacKenzie Gore, Jose A. Ferrer and Jarlin Susana.

Gore, who might be the team’s Opening Day starter and ace, can’t even compare when it comes to the triple-digit velocity both Ferrer and Susana possess. He still managed to make some big league hitters look silly, though.

Chief among them was Josh Bell, who not only whiffed at one of Gore’s offerings but proceeded to launch the bat all the way to third base.

Ferrer, who might get a chance to close if the matchup makes sense against the hard-throwing lefty, is no picnic to face, either. But neither guy compared to the 20-year-old Susana, the 6-foot-6 physical specimen who hit 100 mph in his first bullpen session of the spring and also trotted out his slider this morning. That pitch made James Wood look foolish.

“I’d rather face Ferrer 100 times than that guy,” said one unnamed member of the hitting group. “For fear of taking one off the back of my skull.”

* The Nationals announced former Washington Post columnist Thomas Boswell will throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day. Boswell was recently elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as this year’s winner of the Baseball Writers' Association of America Career Excellence Award.