Perspective: 5 Washington Nationals Players I’m Optimistic About For 2022

The Nats may not be in a place to contend in 2022, but there are still some bright spots. Here are five players to be optimistic about in 2022:

Tanner Rainey

Rainey had an atrocious 2022; there’s no better way to put it. Rainey put up an ERA over seven and a WHIP of 1.71.

His WHIIP gave him an abysmal 55 ERA+ (making him 45% worse than the average pitcher), but there were promising signs. Rainey’s FIP was nearly two runs lower than his ERA. Though his velocity was down early in the year, when he returned from AAA, he was back to the high 90s.

If Tanner Rainey can locate a little more, get a little luckier, and return to his career 46% ground ball rate. Rainey could be our closer for the decade.

Luis Garcia

People (me) sometimes like to group Garcia, and Kieboom as if they’re in a similar predicament. This is not the harp on Carter Kieboom hour, but all I’ll say is Garcia significantly outhit Kieboom despite being 3 years his junior. Garcia is a 21-year-old prospect and really should be given a couple of years to develop from here. There was one massive change in Garcia’s game that makes me optimistic for 2022; power.

Garcia has traditionally been a contact guy, rarely slugging over .400. But in 2021, Garcia slugged .411 with 24 XBH in 70 games at the MLB level and slugged .599(!) in AAA. If he can keep up this power, and get on base a little bit more, I see a bright future for Luis Garcia.

Victor Robles

Much like everyone else on this list, last year Robles could’ve done better. Robles had a decidedly not nice 69 OPS+, and .295 SLG. Robles even got demoted to the minors, but there he flourished. Robles slashed .306/.385/.576 between Harrisburg, and Rochester. Robles also found his footing defensively again.

While not returning to his Andruw Jones-Esque 2019, he had a very solid year defensively, and his speed had clearly returned. We’ve seen just how good Victor Robles can be, it’s just a matter of him putting it together.

Josh Bell

Josh Bell had a better 2021 than you think. As you probably know, Bell hit very well with 124 OPS+ and elite hard-hit rates, at 52%! His rate isn’t out of the ordinary for Bell, who has career numbers on par with this mark, but there was one very promising development in Bell’s game: defense. Bell has been, well, a traffic cone on defense for most of his career, but 2021 was different.

Bell flew into the 82nd percentile for OAA with 4; he even robbed a home run in left field! Josh Bell may not be a National at the end of the year, but hopefully, he will add great value to the club either way.

Juan Soto (duh)

With a .999 OPS, MVP 2, All-Star, Silver Slugger, All MLB. Juan Soto’s 2021 was absurd. And yet, he can be so much more. Much like Bell, Soto’s defensive improvement is a factor for optimism, going from a below-average LF to an above-average RF, but what I want to look at is pure, offensive potential. In 2018, Soto had a .923 OPS, but the question was if he could do it over a full season. He did, in 2019 he had a .949 OPS.

He raised the bar in 2020 with an absurd 1.195 OPS. The question yet again was could he sustain it, and over the second half of 2021 he did. A .348/.525/.639 line! Juan Soto is on the verge of ascending to Bonds's levels of discipline, and power, and boy will it be a treat to watch.

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