Three Players Who Should NOT Be Back With The Nationals In 2024
By Nick Meyers
Alex Call
The writing has been on the wall with this move for quite some time. While a well above average defender, Alex Call has struggled mightily at the plate, being statistically one of the worst hitters in the Major Leagues for basically the entire season. Call draws walks, but that is about all he does well at the plate. Even his above average speed does not really translate to stolen bases. All things considered, Alex Call's ceiling is a 4th outfielder, defensive replacement with a late innings pinch runner potential.
Furthermore, the emergence of Jacob Young has really rendered Call's role on the team nearly redundant as Young is an even better defender than Call (who is very good) with better speed. Young is also several years younger than Call which, in theory, gives Young the edge in terms of development potential. Are either a future MLB starter? Maybe not, but Young definitely is better to keep around than Call at this point. You could argue if not for the injury to Stone Garrett, Call would have already been DFA'd.
Alex Call has now played in 162 games in his Nationals' career and slashes a lowly .209/.311/.335 which equates to a .644 OPS, which is really boosted by his 2022 numbers as Call is currently sporting a .199 batting average and .612 OPS. It has been more than a fair trial and it is time for the Nationals to move on.