Nationals: 3 players who have something to prove down the stretch
With just over thirty games to go the Washington Nationals are for all intents and purposes playing for 2022. Whether you call it a tank job or not, management is putting more stock in getting reps for younger players and seeing who will be a part of the team moving forward, than caring about getting notches in the win column.
In less than a week rosters will expand, giving a handful of others the chance to show off their talents at the big league level. Very few current Nationals players have guaranteed starting jobs for next season.
Just in the past month two trade acquisitions have burst onto the scene and are giving the front office something to think about. Catcher Riley Adams has impressed in his short time behind the plate, and outfielder Lane Thomas has strung together some positive at-bats as well.
There are a few others who want to end the year on a high note. We’ll start in the bullpen.
3 players who have something to prove to the Nationals brass during the remainder of the season.
Sam Clay
Sam Clay needs to prove he belongs in the big leagues, because maybe he doesn’t. Maybe there was a reason he pitched in the minors six years and hadn’t broken through with the team who drafted him (Minnesota Twins).
Clay has been used in a multitude of scenarios this year and none of them have worked out well. He’s supposed to be tough on left handed hitters, though lefties hit .261 off him. The Nationals tried to use him as a setup guy late in games, though opposing batters hit .378 off him when he pitched in a save situation. He had a 1.200 OPS against him in the eighth inning. Opponents batted .359 against him when he pitched with zero days rest.
On balls hit to the outfield, opposing players have 38 hits in 56 at-bats against Clay. The self-described sinker-ball pitcher who throws the ball low in the zone to get ground balls, has only allowed seven hits in 68 at bats on balls hit in the infield, but wow! His splits are flat out terrible.
Clay is controllable. He’s cheap. The Nationals have given him plenty of opportunities. He hasn’t rewarded them. Sam Clay has a little over a month left in the season to prove he can be an asset, even on a rebuilding team.
Kyle Finnegan
There are some question marks with other pitchers as well, but you kind of have a good idea with what you are going to get. You’ve seen Erick Fedde, that’s who he is. Paolo Espino, the Nationals have about squeezed what they can get from him. A handful of relievers don’t fashion to be on the team next year, or when this team hopes to be contending again.
Then, there is Kyle Finnegan. Finnegan has the same route to the majors as Clay. Seven year minor leaguer, signed to a major league contract without any experience. However, the results were much different. Finnegan had a stellar 2020 campaign.
Year two hasn’t been as good. Hasn’t been terrible, either. When Brad Hand was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in late July leaving the closer’s role vacant, the Nats were quick to anoint Finnegan the new closer.
Unscathed in his first three appearances, Finnegan walked away with a win and two saves. He has a blown save and three losses since then.
For the remainder of the season, Finnegan needs to prove he can handle high-leverage situations. Is he the closer of the future? Probably not. Will the Nationals depend on him to get outs in crucial, late inning, situations. Definitely. Time for him to claim some clean innings.
Andrew Stevenson
Andrew Stevenson finds himself in a tough spot. He doesn’t produce enough to be a starting outfielder, and after being given the reins as the fourth outfielder entering the year, he hasn’t produced enough to warrant that, moving forward. Now, he finds himself being jumped on the depth chart and wondering if there is a spot for him on the Nationals active-26, next year.
Stevenson electrified us last year with an exciting final couple weeks of the season. While he may be a preferred choice at pinch hitter, he just doesn’t hit enough to justify keeping on the bench at this point.
Yadiel Hernandez, has taken over the majority of playing time in left field since the Kyle Schwarber trade, and is mixing in some power with consistent hitting. Lane Thomas took the Nationals by storm and has gotten most of the reps in center to spell Victor Robles. And some of us are holding our breath for the late season call-up of Daniel Palka.
dark. Next. Doolittle kicked to the curb
All this to say Stevenson needs to have a strong ending to the season in order to keep from being an after-thought. Sure, Palka is on the team as a minor league free agent, but there will be others next year. If they hit for power, they have Stevenson beat. If they get on base, they have Stevenson beat. Stevenson needs to prove he is more than just speed and defense.