Washington Nationals: Wilmer Difo’s slump concerning

Washington Nationals infielder Wilmer Difo needed a strong spring to boost him into the regular season. So far, it is not the case. Time to figure it out.

This has not been the spring training Washington Nationals infielder Wilmer Difo wanted. Through Tuesday’s action, the young hitter is 1-for-19 in Grapefruit League action.

Expected to fill in for an injured Daniel Murphy at second base, Difo has spent more time at short than second. If, as expected, Murphy cannot rehab from his knee surgery in time to start the season, Howie Kendrick is the likely candidate taking the slot.

For Difo, this could not get much worse.

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Yes, spring stats mean little. But, with eight games under his belt, you can spot a trend. In Difo’s case, the results are not pretty.

Playing time during the season was already an issue for Difo. A healthy Murphy is a lineup fixture. Trea Turner is maturing at short. Unless another rash of injuries plague Washington, Difo is limited to pinch-hitting and defensive replacement duty. If last year is a guide to his bench performance, the results are not promising.

In 50 games off the bench in 2017, Difo’s slash line was a paltry .178/.245/.178. When you reconfigure his .423 OPS to OPS+, you get 35 or 65 percent production below league average. Ouch.

Washington will continue patience with Difo. If Murphy leaves in free agency, Difo is in line to start the 2019 campaign as the Opening Day second baseman. But, at almost 26, he must show something in return. He is too old for a prospect. His time to produce is now.

If there is a positive Difo and the Nats can use this early, it is he is not striking out. In 20 plate appearances, he made contact in 17. He has two walks and one whiff.

Perhaps the answer lies in the video room with hitting coach Kevin Long. Is there a hitch in the swing preventing a good launch angle? Maybe Difo is guessing wrong at the pitch, thinking fastball while getting a changeup.

Those lack of strikeouts are a good sign. With three weeks until Opening Day, a fix can happen. Look at what Ryan Zimmerman did the second half of spring training and the first part of the 2017 season. When he got his mechanics right, KABOOM.

However, another week of a slump and the Nats have a real issue to handle. Yes, Tuesday’s base hit in their loss to Houston is a positive. The next part is getting an extra-base hit. Progress.

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Difo figures to carry a major role in the Nats future. He has to have productive at-bats to keep it.