State of the Nats roster: Outfield

We continue today a periodic look at the state of the Nationals roster at the point spring training was suspended and project how things may look whenever baseball is played again. Up next is the outfield ...

We don't know when the Nationals will take the field again as a team, but when that glorious day does arrive, we know exactly how they'll line up from left to right in the outfield.

While other aspects of the roster underwent changes big and small over the winter, the outfield remained almost entirely intact. That even includes the bench. Hey, if it ain't broke - and everybody's still under contract - don't fix it.

Everything begins, of course, with the star left fielder. Folks around here already knew Juan Soto was special after his rookie season in 2018. By the time the 2019 postseason ended, the entire baseball world knew it, too.

Soto's stats through two big league seasons are jaw-dropping. He owns a .403 on-base percentage and .535 slugging percentage. The only other major leaguers to produce those numbers the last two seasons are Mike Trout, Christian Yelich, Mookie Betts and Alex Bregman. Then consider the host of big October moments Soto provided against some of the sport's toughest pitchers - the three-run hit off Josh Hader, plus homers off Clayton Kershaw, Gerritt Cole and Justin Verlander - and it's tough to imagine how the 21-year-old could get any better.

Don't discount the possibility. Soto could've reported to spring training with a swollen head and a big-time attitude. He didn't. He's always insisting there's room for improvement and he takes nothing for granted, not even his spot on the opening day roster. His 1.111 OPS in the Grapefruit League, plus his continued improvement in left field, suggest there's still bigger and better things to come.

If Soto proved his star power last season, Victor Robles proved he's a legit big league center fielder with the potential to become something special. Robles' rookie campaign didn't compare to Soto's, but that's not a fair comparison to make. He was plenty impressive in his own right, compiling 17 homers, 33 doubles, 86 runs and 28 stolen bases while also rating as the best defensive outfielder in baseball. Yes, the best.

Let's not forget this guy ranked higher than Soto on the organizational prospects list only a couple of years ago, and there's ample reason to believe he'll be ready to take the next step when he next plays again.

Robles did have a hiccup during spring training, straining his oblique muscle making a throw from center field. He missed 10 days of camp, but he did return to play in three games before the shutdown and homered in the March 12 finale before everyone was sent home.

There's no injury concern with Adam Eaton at the moment, and that's a refreshing change for the right fielder, who took a long time to make it all the way back from his major knee and ankle tears in 2017. The scrappy veteran enjoyed a strong 2019 season and though his postseason totals (.241/.361/.410) weren't anything special, he did come through in big spots a number of times, especially in the World Series.

Manager Davey Martinez will again need to monitor Eaton's legs and make sure he doesn't get worn down by playing too much. But he looked fine this spring, going 4-for-16 with a double, a homer and four walks.

How does Michael A. Taylor figure into the Nationals' 2020 plans? Same as before. If everyone else is healthy, he's stuck on the bench. But the moment a spot in the outfield opens up, it's his. Taylor actually had a rough 2019 regular season, demoted to Double-A Harrisburg, where he spent the bulk of the year. But he proved his October worthiness once again, so the Nats weren't about to give up on him.

Friendly reminder: Taylor is now out of options, so he can't be sent to the minors anymore without being exposed to waivers. That fact is bad news for Andrew Stevenson, who played well enough last season to deserve a spot on this season's big league roster, but was optioned to the minors as camp shut down and remains on the outside looking in. Stevenson proved quite adept as a pinch-hitter last year (he reached base in 14 of 25 plate appearances) and his speed and quality defense make him valuable. But it'll take an opening somewhere on the bench for him to make it back.

The Nationals did lose one key outfielder (and clubhouse presence) from the 2019 roster in Gerardo Parra. They know they can't replicate what "Baby Shark" provided last season, but they did bring veteran utilityman Emilio Bonifácio to camp on a minor league deal and openly wondered if he might be able to fill the Parra role. Bonifácio was playing well when camp came to a halt; he was 10-for-30 with a triple, a homer and four RBIs while seeing time in all three outfield positions plus both middle infield spots.

It should also be noted that there's one more outfielder currently on the active spring training roster: Yadiel Hernandez. The 32-year-old non-roster invitee has no big league experience, but he slugged 33 homers with 90 RBIs at Triple-A Fresno last season, and he led the roster with 37 at-bats this spring. The slender left-handed hitter has surprising opposite-field power, and that makes him intriguing. But his age, his status off the 40-man roster and the presence of others ahead of him on the depth chart complicate his long-awaited path to the majors.