The Washington Nationals are now 3-1 in Grapefruit League play after beating the Miami Marlins 14-7 on Tuesday and losing to the Houston Astros 3-0 on Wednesday. Alas, the Nationals will not go undefeated in Spring Training, there were some encouraging performances from players in both games, but there were a couple of bad performances of note.
Young players provide power surge against the Marlins
After hitting no home runs in the first two Spring Training games, the Nationals finally showed some pop starting in the fifth inning. Jacob Young (of all people) led things off with a solo home run off of RHP Lualbert Arias which traveled 365 feet. Robert Hassell III followed up with a 392 foot 2-run homer off of LHP Justin King in the sixth inning and Andres Chaparro capped it off with a 416 foot moonshot in the eighth inning off of LHP Josh Simpson.
Jacob Young - Washington Nationals (1)* pic.twitter.com/21BBQ2aWjN
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) February 25, 2025
Jacob Young's homer was particularly encouraging after he looked to have added muscle over the offseason. Young hit just 3 home runs in 2024 in 521 plate appearances, so it seems as if his work in the offseason might be paying dividends. If he can add just a little bit more power to his game, he would take a huge step forward and become one of the best center fielders in baseball. Robert Hassell III also homered, continuing his standout performance in Spring Training thus far and perhaps showing that he has fully recovered from his hamate injury.
Robert Hassell III - Washington Nationals (1)* pic.twitter.com/5aAdxCIpYC
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) February 25, 2025
Poche and Brzykcy struggle; Ribalta and Reifert shine
In Tuesday's game, Colin Poche made his Nationals debut and it wasn't very pretty. Poche allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, including a home run, while walking two batters and striking out two batters. The Nationals desperately need a lefty for the bullpen, so it's likely that Poche makes the team despite his poor performance on Tuesday, but if he doesn't get it right, the Nationals' already weak bullpen would get weaker. Zach Brzykcy also struggled on Tuesday, allowing 2 runs on two hits, including a homer, with two walks in 2/3 of an inning.
On a brighter note, both Evan Reifert and Orlando Ribalta had stellar outings. Reifert struck out all three batters he faced on Tuesday afternoon, all on sliders. The Rule 5 draft choice will almost certainly make the roster out of camp and if he continues to impress could be a key part of the bullpen in 2025. In what was a relatively unimpressive game from the Nationals on Wednesday, Orlando Ribalta retired all four batters he faced, three of whom he struck out.
Orlando Ribalta has faced 7 batters so far this spring, retiring them all, 4 via strikeout.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) February 26, 2025
Veterans make their marks in Spring Training
Trevor Williams made his 2025 spring debut on Tuesday, throwing two innings while allowing a two-run home run to Matt Mervis. Williams, who is battling for a rotation spot, is coming off a career year in 2024, despite missing a couple of months due to injury. Josh Bell and Paul DeJong both went 1-3 with RBI singles on Tuesday and Andres Chaparro went 3-6 with a home run and a double across both games. Stone Garrett struggled at the plate, going a combined 0-4 on Tuesday and Wednesday; CJ Abrams and Nate Lowe both went 0-3 on Wednesday as well. Needless to say, Wednesday was not the Nationals' day offensively.
The Nationals are back in action on Thursday, February 27th against the Atlanta Braves. The game will be televised on MLB Network where Jake Irvin will be taking the mound for the Nationals.