Washington Nationals: Young Outfielders Continue to Thrive
The Washington Nationals escaped Citizens Bank Park with a victory Tuesday night after Victor Robles and Juan Soto provided critical home runs.
What can be said about the Washington Nationals outfield that hasn’t already been said?
Yesterday, Victor Robles started his 27th game in a Curly W uniform and is already a household name and fan favorite among the D.C. faithful.
In just ten games this season, Robles already has three home runs. Two of those are off of New York Mets star Noah Syndergaard.
He hit his third last night in a situation kids dream up in their backyard — Two strikes, two outs, down by one run. He took a great pitch from relief pitcher Edubray Ramos on the outer third of the plate and pulled it into the left-center field seats.
That home run sent the game into extra innings, setting up his Dominican Republic compatriot, Juan Soto, for more fireworks.
Already beloved by Nats fans because of his sensational 2018 rookie campaign, Soto continues to mystify Major League Baseball by just how good he is for a 20-year-old.
In his latest chapter, Soto crushed, and I mean crushed, a pitch delivered by Jose Alvarez down the right field foul line. After a review from the umpires, the ball was confirmed to be fair. Soto and the two teammates in front of him on the basepaths scored to make it a 9-6 game in the 10th inning.
A ten game sample size can make slash lines look a bit wonky, but there’s nothing strange about Soto slashing .270/.386/.514 to start the season.
The real surprise is Robles, who is scorching hot despite batting out of the nine spot in the lineup. He is hatting .324 with a 1.116 OPS and a 179 wRC+.
Coming into this season, one of the major questions surrounding the Nationals is how they would replace Bryce Harper’s production.
Robles and Soto have answered that question loud and clear — “We can.”
And let’s not forget about Adam Eaton. He led off the game with a double, and Soto drove him in as the Nats drew first blood.
It would not be surprising to see Robles performing so well that it forces manager Davey Martinez’s hand, and we see Soto in the top half of the order.
Next. Nats Interested in Norris?. dark
With the way Robles is playing right now, it may be sooner rather than later.