One excellent inning from MacKenzie Gore and one James Wood at-bat, resulting in a fielder’s choice ground-out – the Washington Nationals’ representatives in the mid-season classic didn’t get many opportunities to contribute to the National League’s victory, but Gore certainly made the most of his. And though Wood hit a respectable 16 bombs leading off the home run derby, he failed to advance past the first round.
Gore and Wood figure to be fixtures on the Nats’ roster for the near future, at least. Longer-term, they may be joined by one or more of Washington’s 2025 draft class. With the first pick in the draft, interim general manager Mike DeBartolo chose Eli Willets, a high-school shortstop from Oklahoma. He then added South Carolina’s slugging outfielder Ethan Petry, pitchers Landon Harmon and Miguel Sime, and shortstop Coy James in round five. Willits was a bit of a surprise, but only time will tell whether he or any of the other Nats draftees are major-league material.
What’s next?
Washington hosts the Padres this weekend and the Reds after that to begin what’s left of the season. The Nats reside in the cellar of the NL East, where they have finished in three of the last four years. This season started with a lot of promise, but a brutal June smashed those illusions. It’ll be a tough task for interim manager Miguel Cairo to keep the team’s spirits up during what may be a difficult last couple of months, as Washington has little to play for beyond getting out of the basement and personal glory.
Who’s hot?
Wood had a terrific first half of the season, but after going 5-for-5 against the Detroit Tigers on July 3, he has looked a bit lost at the plate. In fact, nearly the entire team is slumping: over the past 15 days, only Josh Bell (.333), Brady House (.297) and CJ Abrams (.294) are hitting better than .235.
Who’s for sale?
It’s a near-certainty that DeBartolo will look to trade veterans for prospects as the season winds down, but what do the Nats have to offer a contending team? Bell has finally started to hit, but is only a DH at this point in his career. Nathaniel Lowe is a solid first baseman and ranks among baseball’s top 20 RBI men, but is 39 points below his career batting average and has been a strikeout machine (tied for 10th in the majors). And who knows what Paul DeJong has left? Injured most of the season, he has only played 22 games and is hitting .213. This is not exactly a well-stocked shelf for contenders to consider.
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