The Washington Nationals are off to an interesting start to spring training so far in 2026. After scorching out of the gates, the team's record has fallen to 4-2-2 through 8 full games. As with any other team, some players still have not gotten going yet, and playing time is still sporadic at best. With that being said, there were a few players who stood out from Friday night's most recent tie against the Houston Astros.
Miles Mikolas
The first player who stood out in a positive way on Friday night was righty Miles Mikolas, who was recently signed to a 1-year deal late in the offseason. While many fans were not thrilled with the signing, at least the early returns were somewhat encouraging.
Mikolas only managed to fire half of his 48 pitches for strikes, which is why he ended up issuing 3 walks compared to just 2 strikeouts, while only giving up one hit. The overall line was not pretty, but the fact he did not allow a run is a positive takeaway.
Luis Garcia Jr.
The second positive performance from Friday night was from Luis Garcia Jr., who made his 2026 spring training debut and made a huge impact. He hit a 3-run blast off of Spencer Arrighetti, and he left no doubt about it. Additionally, Garcia Jr. also added in another knock, finishing his first game of the spring 2/3 with 3 RBIs.
While Garcia Jr. has flashed a lot at times over the past few seasons, he has really yet to put everything together, especially when you factor in his lack of defensive prowess. It is notable he played the game at second base, but he figures to get significant playing time at first base as well.
first homer of spring for luis 💥 pic.twitter.com/wxEtQqBur9
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) February 28, 2026
Shinnosuke Ogasawara
The final standout from Friday night was lefty Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who the Nationals signed from Japan last offseason. While he struggled a lot as a rookie, he looked fantastic in his appearance on Friday, as he tries to state his case to be part of the Opening Day bullpen.
He finished the game on Friday with a very good line, pitching 2 scoreless and perfect innings while striking out 4 of 6 batters he faced. Additionally he did a great job of filling up the strike zone as he fired 16 of 22 pitches for strikes. If he wants to have any chance of making the initial bullpen, he will have to continue to string performances like these together.
What did you think of the Nationals' second tie of the 2026 spring training season? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.