Over the past few days I had the pleasure of visiting Washington Nationals camp down in West Palm Beach with the "Foul Territory" crew. During my time, I was able to garner a few takeaways after seeing them up close and personal that I hadn't previously noticed about the team heading into the 2025 regular season.
1. This is a group that enjoys one another
At a glance, while there are a bunch of young guys on the big league club currently, you can see just how serious they are about the business side of things. Despite their professionalism, it was interesting to see the guys laughing and enjoying themselves, as I even got to play a fun game with some of the guys on the team as well. Knowing how much pressure these players are under to perform at a high level, I'm sure it can be difficult to find time for fun amidst the chaos, but they make it happen. Dylan Crews specifically mentioned to the Foul Territory crew that he collects baseball cards in his free time. Having hobbies and bonding together, which this team seems to do a lot of, will get them through some of the dog days of the regular season.
2. The Goal is to win
This may seem obvious, as most teams go into a season with a goal of winning the World Series. With such a stacked NL East division, you would think that the Nats see themselves as underdogs just looking to make slight improvements to get ready for the future with their young core. However, the atmosphere at camp tells a different story, which is that they are very much competing for a championship. This team is confident in their ability to not only compete with the best teams in their division, but the league as a whole, and that type of swagger is great to see.
3. CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches is a must-see
Let me start by saying that CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches is a truly amazing facility for spring training. It is definitely an example of a park where there just isn't a bad seat in the house. Whether you're a fan of the Nationals or Astros, who share the park, it is still worth the trip to take a visit to the park. It has a modern aesthetic along with some incredible food and cleanliness, you could eat off the the floor in there if you wanted to (although I would not recommend).
All in all, being in person at camp was a special and eye-opening experience. Seeing players during the season vs spring training is like night and day. The future for this team, with potential newcomers like Robert Hassell III joining a young core, is as bright as the West Palm Beach sun, but the present may be even brighter than any of us anticipated. Let me know if you make it out to Spring Training this year, and what you think of the experience overall!