The Washington Nationals have a new marketing slogan, Next Gen Natitude that is part of an advertising campaign. That aligns closely with the buzz in camp among the players and management’s, “The future is now.” Spring Training has been the proving ground so far with key prospects and players who are aged 25-and-under in this organization who are among the top producers.
At the halfway mark of Spring Training, the Nats leaders (min 12 PAs) and sorted by OPS:
1. Cayden Wallace 1.250 (23 years old)
2. James Wood 1.244 (22 years old)
3. Luis Garcia Jr. 1.167 (24 years old)
4. Alex Call 1.056
5. Robert Hassell III 1.055 (23 years old)
6. Nasim Nunez .971 (24 years old)
7. Dylan Crews .960 (23 years old)
8. Brady House .920 (21 years old)
9. Andres Chaparro .893 (25 years old)
10. Keibert Ruiz .890
Yes, these are small sample sizes as well as a skewing of the competition among the pitchers that some of these players have faced. But give credit, these youngsters have been stepping up. On that list, only Ruiz and Call are over 26 years old. That is the youth movement in action, and good support that “Next Gen Natitude” isn’t false advertising.
“Next Gen Natitude is all about celebrating the unique ways that baseball can bring our city together. From a playful twist on iconic American imagery to honoring the players and traditions that make our national pastime great, this campaign aims to show all the ways that the love of baseball can unite us. Our goal is to invite and inspire a new generation of fans to embrace the Washington Nationals as a symbol of unity, fun and pride in our nation’s capital.”
— Kimberly Bolt, Chief Marketing Officer, Washington Nationals said
With a focus on the future and the next generation of Nationals’ stars, team ownership as well as fans are waiting for what general manager Mike Rizzo said, “[prospect] stars need to become [MLB] stars.” You have to figure Crews, House, and Hassell are part of that prospect group. If Hassell can step up to join Wood, Crews, Jacob Young, and Call, that is five outfielders in which you might have what you saw today with Wood batting in the DH spot. That would be a way to get Hassell into the lineup without benching your best fielder in Young and just rotate outfielders by utilizing the DH to play four at one time with one on the bench.
The 2025 roster brings forward two of last year’s players from “Hope Row” led by the Nats’ youth movement with the promotions of Wood and Crews to join Young, CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. as the core for the future (per Rizzo) in what was a glimpse into the future.
With a deep outfield in the farm system, the infield boasts House as the team’s top infield prospect. Drafted as a shortstop, he was moved to third base which is a position of need. House has to step up to fix third base on a long-term basis. At third base, the Nationals rank as the worst team in all of baseball statistically since 2019. It’s been so bad at third base since the 2019 World Series, that cumulatively for the past five seasons, if you removed the 4-month stint of Jeimer Candelario, the Nats have put up a -0.9 WAR in that time span. While House is not expected to be the Opening Day starting third baseman, he could find himself making his MLB debut during the 2025 season.
Not everyone is in the future is now mode, Wallace, Hassell and House are waiting for their MLB futures. Even Nunez and Chaparro aren’t locks for the Opening Day roster. Crews and Wood should be locks to start their season in Washington, D.C.
“We’re not waiting for the future anymore. The future is now.” — Dylan Crews said on Foul Territory Vlog
“We’re all just ready to grow together, and I think we’ll surprise some people.” — James Wood said on MLB Network
“We don’t want to hear that we’re rebuilding, and wait to the future.” — Mike Rizzo said on Foul Territory.
Who wants to take the DeLorean and let us know how the 2025 season went? Without that, we just have our projections, hopes, and dreams — then play the real games.
