Optimism from young Nationals as camp opens

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – If you can’t be optimistic on the first day of spring training, what’s even the point?

So obviously the Nationals were optimistic Wednesday as pitchers and catchers officially reported, with a plethora of position players also already on hand at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches several days before they are required to be here.

But they also have legitimate reason to be optimistic about the upcoming season. Three years into the franchise’s rebuild, they look around the clubhouse and see a room full of promising players who could come together to produce the team’s next contender.

“Absolutely. We’ve got incredible, young, talented players here now,” right-hander Jake Irvin said. “There’s no reason we can’t win right away.”

The Nationals haven’t had a winning record since they won the World Series in 2019. They bottomed out in 2022 at an abysmal 55-107, then rebounded to go 71-91 the following season. An identical record in 2024 wasn’t what anyone had in mind, but it can be reasonably argued it still represented progress because of the arrival of several top prospects, headlined by James Wood and Dylan Crews.

But everyone inside the clubhouse recognizes progress can’t be measured that way forever. It does need to show up in the standings. And they believe that will happen in 2025.

“Most definitely, I think we can, and I know we can,” shortstop CJ Abrams said. “This year will be a big year for us.”

The Nats made a few additions this winter designed to supplement the young core. First baseman Nathaniel Lowe and designated hitter Josh Bell are supposed to help provide the lineup with much-needed pop, with Lowe also making a real difference in the field. Right-handers Michael Soroka and Trevor Williams are supposed to provide quality innings and leadership as veterans in an otherwise young rotation. Jorge López and Colin Poche are supposed to shore up a bullpen that still needs more shoring up from general manager Mike Rizzo before the team heads north.

“We’re excited about the guys we’ve got,” manager Davey Martinez said. “And I know Riz is constantly looking to get us better. We might be looking to add some more players in the near future. We’re definitely looking for some more bullpen help, if we can. But my focus is on the guys already in camp, getting them ready for the season.”

Ultimately, though, the Nationals’ best chance of improvement boils down to the continued progression of their young building blocks.

Wood and Crews now have some big league experience. Can they take the next step and show off the superstar potential that made them two of the highest-ranked prospects in the sport?

Abrams was an All-Star in the first half last year before slumping in the second half. Can he play at a high level the entire six months?

Irvin and MacKenzie Gore were dominant for stretches of the 2024 season. Can those two young pitchers sustain that for longer stretches in 2025 and avoid the blow-up starts that turned potentially great seasons into merely good ones?

“I think we just have to be consistent, play together and play for each other,” Irvin said. “That’s the name of the game at any level. Now that we’re more familiar with each other, have a little more chemistry, I think it’s just playing together as a team.”

And who else might emerge from the farm system as this year plays out, guys who could represent the next wave of young talent? Brady House? Robert Hassell III? Yohandy Morales? Cade Cavalli? Brad Lord? Tyler Stuart? Jarlin Susana?

“I’m excited about this group,” Martinez said. “This young core of guys we’ve got, these are the guys we really feel could be here for a long time. We made some unbelievable acquisitions that’s going to help us this year. With those veteran guys and the young core we have, this year I think we’re going to have a really good year.”