The Washington Nationals have been very hard at work this offseason so far. The organization as a whole had a lot to do in terms of preparing themselves to be a competitive ballclub for the upcoming future.
They had to hire an entirely new front office, led by the youngest President of Baseball Operations and the youngest manager in all of baseball in Paul Toboni and Blake Butera, respectively. They also have a ton of work to do in filling out their organization with useful players at both the big-league level and in the minors, and they will have to supplement their new acquisitions with adequate coaching.
On the Nationals side of things, they still have some things to clean up from the stance of filling out a coaching staff, as the team has yet to name a new hitting coach. They have hired a new pitching coach in Simon Mathews and retained Sean Doolittle to be his assistant on the pitching side of things, and have brought in some rising coaching prospects in Bobby Wilson and Tyler Smarslok from the Texas Rangers and Miami Marlins.
However, they are not the only ballclub that has had to make a lot of new hires this offseason, as there were a lot of managerial hires that had to be made around the big leagues. As a result of those openings, some former Nationals have found themselves getting into big league coaching for the first time, most notably Kurt Suzuki with the Los Angeles Angels and Craig Stammen with the San Diego Padres.
As was the case with Suzuki, who brought in a former National in Adam Eaton to be one of his assistant coaches, it can always be helpful for a first-time manager to have some familiar faces that you can trust as you break into your new role.
Stammen is following a similar lead, and has brought in Steven Souza Jr., yes, that Steven Souza Jr. to be his new hitting coach. Somewhere in the world, Jordan Zimmermann is smiling, as Souza will always be a household name among Nationals fans for being the one who saved his no-hitter with one of the most unbelievable defensive plays ever made.
Souza Jr. hasn't appeared in the majors since 2022, but since last appearing in the majors, Souza has been regarded as an intelligent mind when it comes to hitting, and he is now getting his first chance to work with a ton of talent out in San Diego. This news certainly came as a surprise, but we will be rooting for Steven in his next chapter!
What do you think of the Padres hiring Steven Souza Jr.? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.