The Washington Nationals took the series opener from the Colorado Rockies on Monday evening in solid fashion. After a tie game earlier, the Nationals took a lead in the 6th inning and didn't look back, as the team might have been slightly invigorated by an unnecessary benches-clearing incident in the middle of yesterday's game, completely instigated by Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland.
No matter what happened, the Nationals got some contributions from several players in their lineup, and Andres Chaparro kept up his heater with a 3-run homer before CJ Abrams put the cherry on top with a 2-run blast later on in the game. Outside of a big Jacob Young game, there was a specific offseason acquisition who also had a big role in the victory.
Curtis Mead continues breakout season for Nationals in Monday's win
One of the most interesting moves that Paul Toboni made this offseason was to go out and acquire a former Top 50 prospect in all of baseball in exchange for a 6th-round backstop in Boston Smith, who has also performed very well in his first professional season. That player, acquired from the Chicago White Sox, was infielder Curtis Mead, who has since become a huge asset for the Nationals at third base, and he might even continue to get better just by looking at the progression of his Baseball Savant page throughout the season.
As of now, Mead has a .262/.354/.516 slash line, good for an .870 OPS to this point, and has set career-high marks in virtually every category. He has hit 17 homers and driven in 48 RBIs and has a 35:59 BB:K ratio in 314 plate appearances as well. Combine this with the fact that he has filled in very well at both third base and first base, and you can see that Mead has really been a savior for the Nationals in a huge way.
After Brady House started the year at the hot corner while Mead began in a platoon with Luis Garcia Jr. at first base, Mead forced his way into an everyday role and might have even forced his way into long-term role with the Nationals. At just 25-years-old, Mead has a very real chance to become a valuable asset for the club, as his 18.8% K rate and 11.1% walk rate are helping him maintain a very high floor, no matter if the club views him as a starter or bench bat.
Because of the new coaching staff, Mead has gone from a bit of an afterthought to a former top prospect that has finally begun to realize his potential. Add in the fact that the Nationals also have control over Mead until after the 2031 season, and you can realize just how good of a dart throw this ended up being for Toboni. If the Nationals somehow sneak into the playoffs, it might be in large part due to the contributions of Mead.
What are your thoughts of the Curtis Mead trade looking back on it now? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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