It's well documented that the Nationals had an opportunity to spend some money this offseason. In particular, there were a few star outfielders available. But instead of pursuing them, Washington decided to stick with their incumbent options. That meant James Wood and Dylan Crews in the corners and Jacob Young in center field.
Or at least that's what we thought.
As time has passed, Young has continued to struggle to generate much production from the plate, and he's also run into outs on the bases as well. Meanwhile, Alex Call has been among Washington's best hitters to begin 2025.
As a result, Call has begun to cut into Young playing time to a degree. Whereas Young has taken the lion's share of the reps in center since his debut late in 2023, he only holds a narrow 77 to 69 advantage in plate appearances over Call this season. Considering the discrepancy in their production, this gap will likely continue to shrink, and perhaps flip in Call's favor.
Call's Statcast profile as a hitter is very favorable this season. He ranks in the 93rd percentile or better in chase rate, whiff rate, strikeout rate and walk rate, and he ranks in the 80th percentile in overall batting run value (compared to the 15th percentile for Young). Call is almost among the league leaders in batting average in three different clutch categories: at the plate with two outs, with runners in scoring position, and during the 7th inning or later.
Admittedly, there is still a case to be made for playing Young, thanks to the value he provides on defense and as a base runner. However, even if the Nationals want to play Young, it doesn't have to come at the expense of Call.
Josh Bell has provided very little so far this season, and he's almost exclusively a designated hitter now. That leaves an easy path to including both Young and Call in the lineup. By benching Bell, he could be replaced by either Call or left fielder James Wood in the designated hitter role.
Personally, I still have faith in Bell at the plate. After all, he is notorious for having slow starts to the season. If we're seeing the worst of him now and will likely get above average production from him once he snaps out of his current slump, I believe that's enough to keep him in the lineup on a semi-regular basis at a minimum.
My preference - at least until it becomes apparent that a change is needed - would be to start Call in right field most days. This would also allow Dylan Crews to play his most natural position: center field. I'm not opposed to playing Young situationally, such as against left-handed pitchers or to give other players a rest day, but he currently doesn't look like the best option on paper.
Furthermore, I would rather use Call as an everyday player with Young and Bell in a modified platoon (with Young in center field when he plays, with Call in left field and Wood at designated hitter). Otherwise, I believe Young's best role is off the bench as a pinch runner and defensive substitute.
What do you think? Is it time to play Alex Call over Jacob Young? Let me know your thoughts @stephen_newman1 on X.