The Nationals have had a prolific offense this season. Former top prospects like James Wood and CJ Abrams are showing why they were so highly touted by executives across MLB.Â
However, one player, who was not a clear top prospect, has been a breakout offensive star for the Nationals: Joey Wiemer.
Across 46 plate appearances this season, the right handed outfielder is hitting .350 with two home runs and a 1.010 OPS. His OPS+ is 185, meaning adjusted for park metrics, he is 85 percent better than the average hitter. To add to this, Wiemer notably reached base in his first ten plate appearances with the Nationals.Â
For Wiemer, this has clearly been the best offensive production of his career. He began his career with Milwaukee, CIncinatti, and Miami, where offensive inconsistency led him to have a career OPS of .559. However, he has always shown potential under the hood. Last season with Miami, his barrel rate and hard hit percentage were both elite. Wiemer was making solid contact, but it was not translating into statistical success.Â
This season, Wiemer’s barrel rate and hard hit percentage have fallen a bit, but they are still both above average. The most dramatic improvement for Wiemer, though, is his increase in walk percentage from 3.3 percent to 13 percent. The righty has become more patient this season. He is chasing less and swinging at pitches that he can make consistently good contact with.Â
Despite his recent success, there are still signs that Wiemer’s success is not sustainable. Right now, he is striking out 32.3 percent of the time, which is in the tenth percentile in baseball. When players strike out this frequently, it is hard to sustain long term success. By simply putting the ball in play more, good things will happen, especially when a player can hit the ball with authority like Wiemer. After watching James Wood last season, Nationals fans should know that a high strikeout rate can plummet early season success for a player.
Still, Wiemer should continue to be a solid contributor for the Nationals all season. Even if his other worldly numbers right now take a dip, he is a great defender and a good baserunner. Moreover, if he was able to dramatically improve his walk rate, the same thing could be possible with his strikeout rate. Wiemer should be one of the Nationals better righty bats for the remainder of the offseason.
Add us as a preferred source on Google