Following a very busy recent few days that has included a signing of a new starting pitcher who last pitched overseas, a rare prospect swap, and the hiring of a new General Manager, the Washington Nationals decided that they weren't quite done yet. In fact, they just continued what has already been a rock solid offseason for Paul Toboni and his new look front office.
After cleaning out a lot of organizational depth at the upper levels of the minor leagues, Toboni has been hard at work identifying interesting talent for new players to fill in those gaps. He has been sure to add without hesitation, bringing in a handful of players from the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft as well as making numerous other signings so far this offseason.
Additionally, Toboni has been unafraid to take chances on guys who may not have exactly flourished previously, but have some tools that are worth exploring to see if their value can be maximized with the right organization. One of the players who fits that description is actually the newest member of the club, who they signed on Friday.
That player would be Warming Bernabel, a corner infielder who broke into the big leagues with the Colorado Rockies this past season. If this name rings a bell, which it might, given that it is so unique, it could be because he made some headlines following a red-hot start to his big league career.
In Bernabel's first full week in the majors, he took home National League Player of the Week honors, after he clubbed 3 homers and hit .500 across his first 7 games. Despite the hot start, however, Bernabel soon cooled off, and he would finish the season with an OPS below .700 in 40 games for the Rockies.
The issue within his game is the fact that, despite not really having major strikeout issues, he also has an extremely low walk rate, which helps to deflate his overall numbers and outlook. Despite playing at premium power positions as a first or third baseman, Bernabel has never been much of an extreme power threat, with just 2 seasons in his professional career so far resulting in him hitting double-digit homers.
However, Bernabel is still young, and at just 23-years-old and likely getting an opportunity to work with the best coaching staff he has seen to this point in his professional career, perhaps there is a chance that he has more untapped potential that can be coached out of him. Overall, it is an interesting signing that will most likely result in him being minor league depth but could also result in him being a legitimate contender to make the Opening Day roster if he can hit enough.
What do you think of the Warming Bernabel addition for the Nationals? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.