Washington Nationals: Three injuries which derailed the season

Starlin Castro

Brought in for his veteran leadership and to provide some stability at a position which has seen some turnover in recent years, Starlin Castro got off to a great start with the bat.

Through ten games Castro was hitting .361. He had four multi-hit games, including a four hit day in a win over the Toronto Blue Jays during that span.

Though his average did come down to Earth some at the time of his injury, he was providing good protection for Juan Soto, while playing a decent second base.

Then a broken wrist happened, and that was the year. Placed on the 60-day injured list, we’ll have to wait and see what Starlin Castro has in store for the Washington Nationals next year.

Castro isn’t a power hitter, doesn’t possess much speed, and really didn’t have the best splits. He was a professional hitter who slotted in the three hole in the batting order could be counted on night in and night out to provide quality at-bats.

When Castro went down, he was replaced by Luis Garcia, a rookie. While Garcia has shown flashes with the bat, it has been his defense which has been suspect. He’s committed three errors, the same as Castro before he went out, though in less chances. Garcia’s miscues have seemed to open the floodgates for the opponent as well.

Had Castro not been injured, a more skilled set of hands would be out there as opposed to a rookie.

The injuries are just a small piece of the puzzle to why the Washington Nationals have struggled this year. A healthy group may not have been leading the division right now, but they probably wouldn’t be so far down on the ladder.