As we get ready to flip our calendars to September, we find ourselves once again in an all-too-familiar place: the Nationals are on the outside, looking in at the playoffs. While this season brought a lot of hope (at least until the trade deadline), things came crashing down quickly -- a team looking to compete for a wild card spot is now hanging their hat on the future.
With that being said though, there is no better time to get a glimpse of the next iteration of Washington baseball than September -- with rosters soon expanding and teams out of contention shuffling the decks to take a look at younger, unproven players.
It's not all about prospects, however. This time of year, fans and decision-makers alike are looking for trends from established players that give hope towards improvement in the offseason, and into the following summer.
Who should Washington especially be hoping takes that next step?
Dylan Crews
Patience is quickly running thin from fans outside the organization -- Dylan Crews has not come as advertised.
Crews was the second-overall pick in 2023, just behind Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes -- already a Cy Young winner posting a 2.53 ERA in 82 starts. While a lack of success is emphasizing a lopsided comparison that will likely hover over him for the rest of his career, that's hardly the full story. Crews has struggled to be an average MLB hitter, let alone the advertised polished hitter Washington was getting out of Baton Rouge in 2023.
Some may argue that Crews was rushed to the majors by the previous regime -- Mike Rizzo and Davey Martinez -- wanting to appease fans and show off the player meant to be the face of Washington baseball for years to come. But, sadly, even after Washington's new decision makers had Crews start the 2026 season in Triple-A, not much has changed.
Crews is nearing a dangerous precipice, and a hot streak to end off the season would cool some of the tension surrounding his name. While I don't think that Paul Toboni and Blake Butera would be overly anxious to give up on him just yet, Dylan Crews really needs to figure out his bat. If Washington was contending now, or pushing for contention next season, I'm not quite sure Dylan Crews could be a part.
Abimelec Ortiz
We know he has major power (5 home runs in 23 games) -- but since the beginning of the series against the Rangers, starting on August 18, he's gone cold. Tallying only 3 hits in almost 2 weeks, Ortiz's average has dropped to .208, his slugging down to .444.
If Ortiz can continue to show off the power while raising his average, he might just lock in his spot as Washington's first baseman for next season, and maybe beyond.
Eddy Yean
With an ERA of 1.80, it's been a mystery to many fans why Yean has only played in 7 games in the big leagues this season. I'd really like to see Yean get recalled and have a chance to prove he can be a steady and reliable rotation arm in Washington's bullpen - something that, as we all know, as been sorely missed this season. I think he can do it.
Here's to officially predicting that Yean gets a look in September as a call-up, and that he makes the most of his audition for the club.
Luis Perales
Aside from a questionable decision by Blake Butera to keep Perales in for longer than needed during his debut, there's a lot to like about his game. His four pitch arsenal was on display in his debut, including logging his first MLB strikeout by throwing one of 16 splitters.
If Perales can hold his own in a few more steady appearances, he too could solidify himself as an exciting part of Washington's future.
Any sort of success from those three, or any other minor league call-up, will be a welcome sight for Nationals fans, who, right now, are trying to find any glimmer of hope to hold on to, especially entering another long offseason, which could end up being much longer with the looming lockout.
What would you call a success for Washington in September?
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