The Nationals offense has shown they can beat teams in several ways. They can hit for power, string together hits and play some small ball. However, they showed a new element last night. The Nats took advantage of 12 walks to beat the Braves and put up 11 runs. This was the first time since 2019 that the Nats had drawn this many walks.
Ever since they traded Juan Soto, the Nationals have had a really hard time taking walks. Last season, they had the third fewest walks in baseball, and have been bottom 10 in the league every year since 2022. The Nats seemed to constantly have an approach problem during Darnell Coles’ tenure as hitting coach.
Yes, the Nats had a lineup with a lot of aggressive hitters, but it was still ugly. Even after last night, the Nats are only 17th in walks. I am fine with them being in the middle of the pack though. As we touched on, the Nats have a lot of aggressive hitters such as CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia Jr. and Daylen Lile. This team is not going to rely on the walk, but they need to take them when they are there.
Last night they did just that. It was a mix of bad Braves pitching and good Nationals at bats. There were times where the Braves were spraying the ball all over the place or pitching around a slugger like James Wood. However, there were also some well earned walks.
The one that stuck out the most was James Wood’s free pass in the fourth inning. It was an 11 pitch battle where Wood had to foul off several well executed pitches. He eventually won the battle and took his base. It was one of four free passes for Wood on the night.
Some of Wood’s free passes came from Braves pitchers being scared of him. After he hit a crazy 114.5 mph opposite field home run and worked that 11 pitch walk, they did not want any part of him. In his next two at bats, Wood was intentionally walked and walked on four pitches. That must have fired up Luis Garcia Jr. because he made them pay in both of those at bats.
The Nats are a top 5 offense in most categories right now and have scored the most runs in baseball. However, to keep up this pace, they need to show they can be multi-dimensional. Winning via a patient approach is a good way to show that. Hitting coach Matt Borgschulte is really working miracles around here.
Another hitter that is becoming more patient is CJ Abrams. Right now, Abrams is walking at a 12% clip. Last year, he walked less than half that rate at 5.8%. Finding ways to get on base should help Abrams avoid those extended slumps he tends to fall into. That would unlock Abrams’ offensive game in a big way.
The whole team is just putting together much better at bats this year. It is not just the big guns. Curtis Mead and Jorbit Vivas are two more complimentary pieces who consistently have quality AB’s. Jacob Young also looks much better offensively.This Nats offense is star driven, but they are not the only ones pulling this boat. Outside of Nasim Nunez and the catchers, everyone in this lineup is dangerous and/or pesky.
I would still be surprised if the Nats are a top 5 or even top 10 offense by the end of the season, but projecting this group to be a top half offense does not seem so crazy. Before the season, that would have sounded much more unrealistic, but here we are. This offense is young, fun and exciting.
Read the full article here