When the Nationals finally won a World Series in 2019, which is the same year they won their first Postseason series, we all thought the future was bright for the team. We had Juan Soto with several more seasons of team control, Trea Turner, Max Scherzer, and more amazing players, we had a chance to see the Nationals keep winning, but then nothing. The 2020 COVID-shortened season was abysmal; the Nationals finished tied for 4th, or last in the NL East, depending on how you look at it, with 26 wins and 34 losses.
In no way do any baseball fans or the writers for District on Deck think the Nationals will make the Postseason in 2026. With reduced expectations, the Nationals are excelling so far this season, with a 3-2 record. With wins against some really outstanding ball clubs in the Cubs and Phillies, I think the Nationals might surprise some fans.
Offseason acquisition Joey Wiemer turned heads, and getting the attention of the baseball world by tying Carlos Delgado's MLB record of reaching base in his first 10 at-bats to start a season, before the streak ended with a tie. However, Wiemer's performance gives Nationals fans high hopes of what is to come over the next 150-plus games.
The Nationals don't have much to write home about right now; they just cannot have another last-place finish. If they finish above last in the NL East, that momentum will carry them toward a division title in the coming years.
Monday, March 30th, for example, was a great game for the Nationals, who won 13-2 against the Philadelphia Phillies on the road, in what is a very harsh environment for opposing players. Phillie fans are passionate, loud, and don't make competing at Citizens Bank Park easy, yet the Nationals were able to silence the loud ballpark by scoring seven unanswered runs before the Phillies scored their only two runs of the game. In that win, Foster Griffin got his first win as a member of the Nationals, after playing a few seasons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League.
The Nationals have some great young players and talent on the team right now, as well as an exciting farm system. The team has a bright future, but pieces from the current roster will be the building blocks needed to propel the future stars of the Nationals to greatness and late season, and postseason success.