Senzel assured everyday third base spot

The Nationals went to last week’s Winter Meetings in Nashville with a list of needs that included an everyday third baseman.

They left Thursday morning after signing former Reds utilityman Nick Senzel for $2 million plus an extra $1 million in incentives.

Senzel, 28, was non-tendered by the Reds last month after slashing .236/.297/.399 with a .696 OPS, 10 doubles, a career-high 13 home runs and 42 RBIs, and six stolen bases while playing third base, second base and all three outfield spots. The 2016 No. 2 overall pick from the University of Tennessee finished his five-year career in Cincinnati with a .239 average, .671 OPS, 33 homers and 125 RBIs.

The Nationals believe Senzel’s subpar results were partially a product of moving around the field too much and that they could improve if he is given the chance to play one position consistently alongside his childhood best friend, Lane Thomas.

“I'd like to say both,” Senzel said in a Zoom meeting with reporters when asked how much his decision to sign with the Nats was based on what they could offer and the chance to play with Thomas. “Obviously, me and Lane, we grew up playing together. And this opportunity that was brought to me, an opportunity to be able to play every day and get a new start in a historic franchise, was just kind of just kind of a no-brainer for me. And just having Lane, one of my best buddies I grew up with, playing right field, it's really insane, to be honest.”

General manager Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez last week both alluded to the idea of finding an everyday third baseman this offseason. Wanting to improve upon their 71-win season, the two weren’t convinced they had the right in-house candidate to take over the job.

When news of the signing broke Thursday, a source familiar with the Nats’ thinking said the team plans to play him every day at third base, a sentiment Senzel confirmed himself.

“Washington was kind of on my radar right after I got non-tendered by Cincinnati,” he said. “Obviously, playing them, knowing that there was opportunity to be able to compete for a job there. So right off the bat, Washington was kind of on my radar. I just happened to get a great opportunity. I was able to talk to Davey and some of the coaches. They expect me to play third base every day. And in game, I can move to second base and the outfield, but I think the plan is to play third every day. That's really exciting for me.”

Senzel played mostly third last year in 57 games with the Reds, but he also made six appearances at second, 23 in left field, 18 in center and 18 in right. While that versatility is valuable, there is also something to be said about consistency at one spot.

“I think it can go both ways,” Senzel said. “I think being versatile and being kind of in that role, I was able to just kind of, like, really roll with that and really learn to love that versatility aspect of just, like, plugging in anywhere and I could be good anywhere. But knowing deep in my heart that third base is kind of home for me and it's just my best position. I was able last year to, I think, play a little bit over a month there and pick it back up really well. Third base is home for me. I've played it. And just staying in one spot, I think, will be a little bit easier on my body.”

Sure enough, from April 26 to May 28, Senzel started 24 of his 28 games at third base and moved to the hot corner in three of the four games he didn’t start there. Over that period, he had one his best offensive stretches of the season, slashing .289/.361/.462 with an .823 OPS, four home runs and 20 RBIs. That’s a pace for 23 homers and 116 RBIs over 162 games, close to his totals in Cincinnati.

Senzel was drafted out of Tennessee as a third baseman. Though being versatile has helped establish him as a regular major leaguer over his first five seasons, he’s excited to get back to the position he calls home.

“I really like the reactionary part of it,” he said. "How everything happens so fast and the ball is on you and you have to make quick decisions and be pretty reactionary to it. I feel like – and you can ask any baseball player, probably – the less time you have to think, the better off you are just to react. And third base is one of those positions where you can get hot shots right at you pretty regularly. That's probably why I love it so much. Just the pace and the quickness of it and just the reaction to it. I really like the angle of the throw. I play the ball on the run pretty well, so I do take to the angle at third base well. I would say those are probably two of the things that that's why I love it.”