Washington Nationals: Matt Wieters poised to rebound
The Washington Nationals still have Matt Wieters catching. For him, things can only improve in 2018. However, his presence is great with his pitchers.
Perhaps no player in the history of the Washington Nationals spent a longer winter than catcher Matt Wieters.
If he checked the internet, watched ESPN or read a paper, Wieters would hear about who would replace him behind the plate. As we steam toward February, he is the designated Opening Day starter. Remember, as with his signing, surprises happen.
When he joined the Nats after the start of Spring Training last year, most expected him to opt-out of his two-year, $22 million deal last fall. After a hot start, Wieters fell into a deep freeze. By the time 2017 ended, his .225/.288/.344 slash line translated to an OPS+ of 63.
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You cannot sugarcoat that. It’s terrible. No one would offer anything close to his 2017 salary in free agency and Wieters stayed.
Without rehashing the trade rumors for J.T. Realmuto or the endless pieces profiling Pedro Severino, Wieters is the Nats catcher. How Washington protects him determines his season.
Signs of fatigue appeared in the latter half of 2016 with the Baltimore Orioles. After an All-Star bid, Wieters finished the year with an OPS+ of 89 and a .302 OBP. Last year, he caught 118 games, starting 113. His overall OPS plunged from .711 to .632.
Last year, Washington had little choice but running Wieters out there. As awful as he was, backup Jose Lobaton was worse. His OPS+ of 36 earned him a minor-league deal with the New York Mets.
Whether the other option is internal or outside the organization, Washington must cut Wieters workload under 100 games. If they can get him around 80-90 nights, the bat might approach his pre-Tommy John production levels. With the pressure the Nats feel this season, he cannot be an automatic out at the tail of the order.
Baseball insiders will tell you Wieters is a future manager. The way he handled the pitching staff, including the first-half bullpen, gives him intangibles not found on FanGraphs. Wonder why Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez had great years, look at Wieters.
He is a player you want around. Since the Nats never eat contracts, here he stays.
Lost in the myriad of bad press is this is a contract year for Wieters. Outside of Bryce Harper, perhaps there is not a player on the Nats with more to prove than Wieters. He turns 32 in May. His career is far from over.
Although the dream of a fat $15 million-per-year contract is unlikely, a rebound season increases his chances of a good deal. Who knows, if the Nats do not make a splash for a catcher, Wieters could start Opening Day 2019 as their catcher.