40 in 40: Alex Call
Last year's everyday center fielder quickly became an afterthought when planning for 2024.
Editors Note: This is the latest player profile in our 40-man breakdown series that we have started here at the Nats Report. Check out our other player profiles.
Alex Call
- Position: Outfielder
- Current status: Pre-arbitration, Arbitration eligible in 2026, a free agent after the 2029 season.
- How Acquired: Claimed off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians in August 2022
- 2023 Grade: C
- 2024 Opening Day Projection: Triple-A Rochester
- 2023 stats: 128 G | 439 PA | 8 HR | .200/.307/.307 | .614 OPS | 9 SB 8 CS | 0.4 fWAR | 1.1 bWAR
2023 Analysis: Alex Call was originally supposed to be the fourth outfielder out of camp but with Corey Dickerson’s injured list stint just three days into the season, playing time was quickly thrust upon him. He did not run away with the left field job, especially with Stone Garrett’s meteoric rise, but when Victor Robles went down with a back injury, playing time was once again quickly found for him. But he perfectly represented the “scrappy” nature of the Nationals, working a lot of walks, avoiding strikeouts, and seeing a ton of pitches in each at bat. If there was a major flaw (outside of his general inability to hit) he was overzealous in his base stealing attempts, with a success rate of 52.9 percent.
2024 Outlook: And just like that Alex Call has become an afterthought in this outfield. Lane Thomas is set to get at least one of the outfield spots, and one of the two outfielders signed on minor league deals should get the other corner. Victor Robles, Jacob Young, and even James Wood have all leapfrogged Call in the center field conversation. But if Call is your Triple-A depth outfielder, that is about what he would be in other organizations. If an injury does happen, the Nationals front office can rest comfortably knowing there is a positive asset waiting in the wings.
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