As Nationals fade to bottom of standings, young stars provide reason to cheer

The Nationals are fading toward the bottom of the standings after an encouraging start to the season.

However, young stars like James Wood and Jacob Young have given Washington fans plenty of reasons for optimism with less than 40 games remaining in the season.

The Nationals entered Tuesday’s game against the Rockies with a 56-69 record — 17 1/2 games behind the division-leading Phillies in the NL East and 10 1/2 games behind the Braves for the final wild-card spot.

But manager Dave Martinez said he isn’t ready to give up on this season.

“We’re going to play hard,” Martinez said Sunday. “No matter what, we’re going to play hard. We got to clean up some things a little bit, but we’re going to go out there and we’re going to compete.”

Despite their manager’s focus on competition, the Nationals are still rebuilding.

They have been rebuilding since winning the World Series in 2019, trading established players like Juan Soto and Max Scherzer in exchange for prospects with plenty of potential. After developing in the minors, those young players have started to arrive in the majors and have flashed enough talent to make fans eager for next season.

Wood has been the prize of Washington’s farm system since the Nationals landed him in the Soto trade in 2022. The Maryland native made his MLB debut in July after rising to the top of most MLB prospect rankings.

He hasn’t disappointed.

The 6-foot-7 Wood has notched five home runs and 28 RBIs while maintaining a .284 batting average and a .373 on-base percentage through his first 42 games.

Just over a month into his career, Wood is still adding new elements to his game. The left-handed hitter’s 418-foot home run during Sunday’s game against the Phillies was his first fly ball hit to right field this season.

“Wood crushed the ball,” Martinez said. “Everybody talks about ‘pull the ball’ — he pulled that one. But that’s what he can do. He stayed on the ball really well, got his hands through and he smoked it.”

Wood has been smoking pitches since arriving in the Majors last month. He recorded an average exit velocity of 94.6 miles per hour in his first 42 games. That ranks sixth in MLB behind All-Stars Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Oneil Cruz and Juan Soto.

The 21-year-old is just getting started. General manager Mike Rizzo said Wood has already improved his approach at the plate.

“The thrilling part is seeing him getting better each day,” Rizzo said on “The Sports Junkies” last week. “He’s bringing a major league routine to the ballpark every day, getting better in left field and the bat is foolproof.”

Wood has fittingly made a name for himself by swinging the lumber in the batter’s box. But Young, a fellow rookie who roams the outfield with Wood, has taken a different path to the major leagues.

The 25-year-old secured his spot in Washington’s lineup by becoming the best defender in MLB this season. The speedy rookie leads the majors with 17 outs above average, according to Baseball Savant.

“The separator, I think, is getting to balls and making the plays that aren’t supposed to be made,” Young told FanGraphs. “You know, cutting down balls in gaps to keep runners off second base. Just the little things that are probably overlooked if fans are just watching a game. But it’s preventing teams from scoring as many runs against you.”

The University of Florida product hasn’t been a slouch on offense, either. The speed that’s made him a Gold Glove contender also makes him a threat on the base paths. Young has stolen 28 bases this season, ranking 10th in MLB.

“We’re a young team with even more guys coming up behind us. So you’ve just got to show your value,” he said. “I’m not hitting 20 homers a year. If your value is keeping runs off the board, that’s something you’ve got to take pride in and give yourself 100% at.”

Even with the fresh crop of new starters, Washington has more talent on the way up. Dylan Crews, the No. 3 overall prospect in baseball, is expected to make his major league debut before the end of the season. Third baseman Brady House, a 2021 first-round pick and the No. 69 prospect in baseball, could join him in the big leagues next year.

The future is bright for the Nationals. The organization boasts the 10th-best farm system in the league, according to MLB.com.

“Contention should be right around the corner in the capital if the Nats supplement these homegrown contributors with other talent soon,” MLB.com’s staff wrote in its most recent ranking.