Washington Nationals: Six players who could break out in 2019

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Every year, there are players who are able to take the next step in their career and have a breakout year. Who could do that for the Washington Nationals?

One of the keys to running a successful major league franchise is being able to bring through and develop your own talent. The Washington Nationals are no different in that regard, so we look at some possible breakout candidates heading into 2019.

Last year, the leader of the breakout candidates was Juan Soto, and it wasn’t even close. The outfielder started the year in Single-A with the Hagerstown Suns, so nobody saw his meteoric rise coming quite this soon.

But he proved capable of showing maturity beyond his years and finished with a .292/.406/.517 slash line to go with 22 home runs and 70 RBI. Unfortunately, he couldn’t quite top it off with a rookie of the year award as Ronald Acuña had an equally remarkable year and took home the prize.

But it wasn’t just Soto who was able to break out, the Nats also had Spencer Kieboom, Justin Miller and Wander Suero make significant impressions last season. So we look at the next crop of players who might be able to make the breakthrough.

There’s a mix of players in this list with major league experience and those from the minor leagues and there could be more to come who sign on minor league contract later in the offseason. But we want to focus on the younger players here.

Let’s get the list started, and it’s probably the candidate that will not surprise anyone.

Victor Robles

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. Victor Robles is the team’s top prospect and is likely to be roaming centerfield on Opening Day. Make no mistake, the Washington Nationals have a potential future star on their hands here.

For all the talk of Juan Soto last season, it’s easy to forget that Robles was ranked higher than him across the board in prospect rankings. That didn’t happen by accident, as the outfielder possesses all five tools, with the potential to be a superstar if he develops as expected.

In his 34 big league games so far, Robles has slashed .277/.337/.506 with three home runs, three triples, and three stolen bases. That’s just a taster though, as he’s not really had regular playing time as yet in his major league career.

He’s also had a positive Defensive WAR in his cup of coffee with the Nats, and this is probably the area of his game that doesn’t get enough attention. Robles may still have some rough edges, but he genuinely has the potential be a gold glover in centerfield, and is likely already on a par with Michael A. Taylor on that front.

With a regular path to playing time in 2019, Robles is likely the early favorite for NL Rookie of the Year. If Robles can live up to the sky-high expectations then the Nats could have one of the best young outfields in the entire sport. That’s mouthwatering for Nationals fans.

Photo by Sam Getty/Harrisburg Senators /

James Bourque

Entering the 2018 season, James Bourque had underwhelmed as a starter in Washington Nationals organization which prompted a move to the bullpen. The move couldn’t have gone much better, and he may now be set to make an impact on the big league club next season.

Last season, in his first year as a reliever, he posted a stellar 1.70 ERA in 41 appearances between High-A and Double-A. But his stuff played up significantly in the bullpen, as he elevated his K/9 to 12.9 in 2018 in 53 innings of work.

Bourque’s fastball, that previously sat in the mid-to-low 90s, now lives in the upper 90 as a reliever. He pairs this with a power curveball as his main offspeed pitch, but he plans to incorporate his changeup back into his arsenal next season.

Despite the additions of Trevor Rosenthal and Kyle Barraclough, the Nats bullpen is still in flux this offseason, giving Bourque the chance to make an impression. While he’ll likely start in the minor leagues, if he can continue on from his impressive 2018, he should get a call-up this year.

Long-term, Bourque could end up being a high-leverage arm for the Nats with the potential to be a closer of the future. He’ll still need to keep the walks down, but this issue can be canceled out by his top-of-the-shelf stuff that plays up in the bullpen.

(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Erick Fedde

While his short stints with the Washington Nationals haven’t quite gone to plan yet, Erick Fedde could be a name to watch in 2019. He’s had plenty of promising flashes but needs to start putting it all together soon.

An ugly debut season in 2017 where he posted a 9.39 ERA improved slightly in 2018 with a 5.54 ERA in 2018. But there was much more to his season that the inflated ERA and there’s plenty of reasons to believe he can rectify that in 2019.

For starters, the home run ball has been his kryptonite so far, with a 1.4 HR/9 last season that contributed to big innings. That shows when you look at Fedde’s xFIP, which normalizes HR/FB rate to 10.5 percent, came in at a serviceable 3.83 in the majors last season.

Bizarrely, that hasn’t been a problem for him in the minor leagues, as he posted a 0.40 HR/9 in Triple-A last year. Even with the step up in talent, that spike seems a bit strange and is likely to return to normal in the future.

Fedde has the arsenal and raw stuff to succeed, with an impressive fastball-slider combo that he uses as his bread and butter to go with a cutter and changeup that he used to impress in the minors.

If he can put it all together, then he could win a rotation spot with the fifth starter spot still up in the air. Keep Fedde on your radar in Spring Training when that battle could take place.

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Carter Kieboom

As well as Victor Robles, Carter Kieboom feels like another obvious name in this list who is expected to really break out in 2019. The Washington Nationals are hoping he could take the starting job at second base as soon as this summer if his development goes as planned.

While his brother, Spencer Kieboom, was impressing behind the plate with the Nats, younger Carter was steadily raising his prospect status. He’s put himself within striking distance of the big leagues and is already affecting their offseason pursuit of a second baseman.

Kieboom spent 2018 between High-A and Double-A, combining for a .280/.357/.444 slash line,16 homers and 69 RBI. That performance was enough to send him to the highly-regarded Arizona Fall League where he was an All-Star and impressed for the Salt River Rafters.

Notably, at the AFL, Kieboom played second base for the first time as a professional as he hopes to make the transition to the keystone. With Trea Turner locking down shortstop for the foreseeable future, second base is his quickest path to the majors, as soon as this season.

While none of Kieboom’s skills are necessarily “elite”, he possesses plus skills in all five tools and would be an excellent addition to the infield when ready. It will just be a matter of ensuring that his development is complete by the time he is needed by the Nats. Hopefully, we will see him in 2019.

(Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Koda Glover

When Koda Glover first came up to the big leagues in 2016, he instantly looked like a closer of the future. However, injuries have derailed his career with the Washington Nationals, but he could be set to finally break out next season.

Overall, Glover has struggled in his big league career, possessing a 4.55 ERA in 63 appearances over the last two seasons. But he has a tantalizing combination of raw stuff and the mentality of a closer than has management still excited about his future.

In the majors, his fastball has averaged 96.8mph to go with a devastating slider at 92.2mph and changeup that averages 87.3mph. For a reliever, he also has excellent command too as not only his career 3.4 BB/9 workable, he could even improve, as his minor league career number is 1.8 BB/9.

That arsenal and command should easily allow him to strike out batters at a much better clip than the 6.8 K/9 that he’s currently sporting in his career. He’s built to be a late-inning reliever and if he gets the chance, he has the sky-high potential to thrive in that role, assuming he stays healthy.

Currently, new additions Kyle Barraclough and Trevor Rosenthal are pegged as the primary seventh and eighth inning options respectively. But should either falter, then Glover could be the next man up to step into the late innings to bridge the gap to Sean Doolittle and truly prove himself.

Photo credit: Sam Getty and Harrisburg Senators /

Wil Crowe

One area that the Washington Nationals have struggled with recently is bringing through reliable young pitching. While the minor league depth still isn’t great, Wil Crowe is one of the highlights of that group, and may even make his major league debut in 2019.

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The right-hander was a second-round pick of the University of South Carolina back in 2017 and is already climbing the ladder quickly. He’ll likely begin the season in Double-A with the Harrisburg Senators as he looks to follow up a strong 2018 campaign.

Down in High-A last season with the Potomac Nationals he went a remarkable 11-0 with a stellar 2.69 ERA in 16 appearances. That earned him a call-up to Double-A towards the end of the year, which didn’t go quite as hoped when he went 0-5 with a 6.15 ERA, but it didn’t change his fine season.

Crowe was also awarded co-minor league pitcher of the year, along with Ben Braymer when the Nationals announced their minor league awards at the end of the season. He’s provided himself an excellent platform to push on in 2019 and will hope that he can catch the eye of the front office enough to possibly get a call-up to the major if existing rotation members falter or are affected by injuries.

While Crowe’s ceiling may not be as high as others on this list, he has one of the highest floors and is a safe bet to be at least a back-end starter at the highest level. His fastball sits in the mid-to-low 90s, which he pairs with a plus curveball, good changeup and slider if he needs it. The arsenal is solid, if not spectacular, but he has a great feel for pitching, which should get him to the bigs.

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