The 2025 Washington Nationals have been a team with many ups and downs so far in this young season. The team comes into Thursday with a 29-32 mark, and have a legitimate argument to be above a .500 team if the front office had actually invested actual money into the team this season.
As we know now, the bullpen additions were a mess, with Colin Poche, Lucas Sims, and Jorge Lopez already being shown the door, and despite a recent hot streak from Josh Bell, his reunion in DC has not gone according to plan overall. Nathaniel Lowe started out great, but has been in a major power slump for upwards of 2 weeks now.
But it's not all doom and gloom, as since the Nationals have been able to hang around and climb out of the basement in the NL East, the team has seen a few superstars emerge this season. Those guys could all be rewarded with appearances in next month's MLB All-Star Game in Atlanta, so let's dive into the possible candidates from the Nationals. You can't vote for pitchers, but make your voice heard and your votes count by voting for position players here!
James Wood
The most obvious lock to make the midsummer classic on the Nationals' roster is James Wood, who has become an absolute superstar in 2025. Despite showing signs of this upside last season, his breakout has been a pleasure to watch, and his .940 OPS is tied for 7th in the entire league to this point. He has legitimately entered the MVP discussion, and should be rewarded with his first All-Star Game as well.
He also remains tied for 7th in the league with 16 homers, and leads the Nationals in almost every significant offensive category. As of now, I think Wood has a legitimate chance to start the All-Star Game, and he should become a regular in the game for the rest of his career. I wonder if perhaps he would even get an invite to the Home Run Derby as well? We will just have to wait and see.
Prediction: Wood makes his 1st All-Star Game
MacKenzie Gore
Following another dominant start on Wednesday afternoon, MacKenzie Gore only further cemented that his 2025 season is a true breakout season. Despite people like myself shouting from the hills that this year was finally going to be the one in which he breaks out, he has been even better than I anticipated. He currently leads the entire league in strikeouts, and has a 2.87 ERA and 1.14 WHIP through his first 13 starts.
In the year of the lefty, with guys like Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet also looking fantastic, Gore has proved that he belongs in those discussions as well, and that this is no fluke. Gore has blossomed into a true Cy Young candidate, and he is on the verge of making my preseason take that he would finish Top 10 in NL Cy Young voting and make his 1st All-Star Game look completely justified.
Prediction: Gore makes his 1st All-Star Game
CJ Abrams
Despite a recent slump that has clouded some people's judgement, CJ Abrams deserves to go back to the All-Star Game for the second consecutive year. He has been fantastic so far in 2025, and has really taken a step forward in all facets of his game. While Francisco Lindor will almost certainly start the game, Abrams definitely deserves to be there as a reserve.
While we all know he can walk more, and there's always room for improvement with his defense, he is behind only a handful of shortstops in the league in terms of WAR, and that's solely because he missed a few weeks with injury earlier this season. Getting Abrams to the All-Star Game in his home state of Georgia would probably be an awesome experience for him and his family, and as of right now, his .267/.338/.471 slash line and .809 OPS would all be career-best marks.
Prediction: Abrams ends up being snubbed from his 2nd All-Star Game
Kyle Finnegan
Remember when nobody wanted Kyle Finnegan? That feels like a distant memory now, and thank God that Mike Rizzo was able to convince his camp to come back to DC. While saves with Finnegan are never going to be a clean experience where he strikes out the side with ease, he has been absolute nails in the 9th inning for the most part this year, with his 17 saves leaving him tied for 2nd in the league.
Finnegan has been much better then last season when he made his 1st career appearance in the All-Star Game, and his 2.49 ERA and 1.338 WHIP could both still improve. However, it is important to note that he does have a 2.57 FIP, which is a great figure that suggests he has perhaps been a little bit better overall than his numbers would show.
Prediction: Finnegan makes his 2nd All-Star Game as a late replacement, similar to last year
Which of these players do you believe should be in the All-Star Game this season for the Nationals? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.