So much happened over the All-Star Break. James Wood had a good showing in the Home Run Derby but ultimately didn’t make it out of the first round, MacKenzie Gore pitched a scoreless inning in the game itself, and the Nats made their amateur draft selections, beginning with the other highly regarded Oklahoma high school shortstop whose father played in the majors, Eli Willits. Drafting Willits over either Ethan Holliday or Kade Anderson would appear to signal a paradigm shift in how the Nationals approach acquiring amateur talent (note - this is a good thing, as Rizzo’s “stars and scrubs” model too often left the system vulnerable and unable to replenish itself). Now we wait to see how Mike DeBartolo approaches his first trade deadline manning the helm.

There was no game yesterday on account of the All-Star Break, but the Nats return to action this evening against the San Diego Padres, who in punking them last June put a damper on the Nats’ chances to be frisky in 2024. Fortunately, Jurickson Profar is gone, but the Fathers are still a good team.

With the second half set to begin this evening, we are going to grade all of the players who appeared in the first half for the Nationals, beginning with infielders:

CJ Abrams, SS (B+) - He is still streaky at the plate, but the downturns have been shorter and less pronounced this season, leading to a 134 wRC+ and by far the best OBP (.353) of his young career. The defense is better, which only gets him to mediocre in that category, but overall he’s tracking a 5-WAR or 6-WAR season.

Riley Adams, C (D) - As Keibert Ruiz struggled through a fourth consecutive first half of being overworked, Adams did next to nothing to push for a more equitable time share until a pair of concussions to Ruiz forced the issue. Adams has gone yard four times in his limited playing time but has an OBP below .200 and remains a below-average receiver behind the plate.

Josh Bell, DH (C-) - The patron saint of streaky hitters was “hitting” .151/.254/.289 through the first third of the season, and since that point has gone .294/.366/.463 to make himself a viable trade candidate yet again. He shouldn’t start against lefties anymore, but he can be the strong side of a DH platoon for a wild card contender that’s desperate for offense.

Andrés Chaparro, 1B/DH (D+) - After an oblique injury suffered in spring training sidelined him through the first two months of the season, Chappy got a brief look at the beginning of the June swoon losing streak, but failed to make a case to stay with his bat - and of course he offers no value with a glove. Expect to see him back in DC if Nathaniel Lowe winds up getting traded this month.

Paul DeJong, 3B (C) - As advertised, DeJong was providing strong defense and well-below-average offense when he took a fastball to the face on Jackie Robinson Day in Pittsburgh. Despite just 22 games played and a bad .213/.263/.320 slash line, he was produced positive value thanks to his glove (0.1 bWAR, 0.2 fWAR) and might find a home at a new address in a couple of weeks as a consequence. If there turns out to be no trade partner for him, he will likely be DFA’d now that Brady House has taken the everyday third base job.

Luis García Jr., 2B (C+) - Louie’s game took a nosedive early this season after a promising 2024, although the hitting woes were caused mostly by some incredibly bad luck on batted balls that has since started to even out to the point that he is close to league-average at the plate (.259/.300/.395, 93 wRC+). The defensive issues, however, are not good for either the pitching staff or his future in the organization. He could click in the second half, though, as like Victor Robles before him he never seemed to vibe with Davey Martinez.

Brady House, 3B (B+) - Is the long-awaited answer at third base finally here? We knew that House would be likely to have a rocky start at the plate, and he’s only hit .256/.286/.376 for an 83 wRC+ since his call-up in the midst of the losing streak. But he did finally break the seal on his power potential last weekend in Milwaukee with a pair of upper deck bolts, and his defense has been good enough that a) he’s at 0.4 bWAR/0.3 fWAR in only 23 games and b) I wouldn’t hate the idea of telling him to get some shortstop reps this winter just in case.

Trey Lipscomb, IF (C) - Lipscomb has gotten all of three games in the majors this season, but I would still rather have Nasim Nuñez as my thirteenth man infielder.

Nathaniel Lowe, 1B (D+) - Lowe has been the single biggest disappointment on this team relative to expectations. Sure, he hasn’t missed a game and is tracking a 25-homer, 90-RBI season, but his OBP is way down, his strikeouts are way up, and he looks out of shape and immobile on defense - it seems amazing in hindsight that he won a Gold Glove just two years ago. If Mike DeBartolo cannot find a place to trade him by the end of the month, I imagine he will play out the string and be non-tendered by the now very frugal Lerners (rather than pay ~$14 million in 2026 for subpar offense and awful defense from their first baseman).

Drew Millas, C (D) - Much like Adams, Millas has not really done anything to seize the opportunities provided by the Nats having the worst catching situation in baseball. If Ruiz remains out for any significant stretch, Millas will get some burn as the backup to Adams but probably not much more.

Nasim Nuñez, SS (B-) - I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the 2025 season got away from the Nats when Dylan Crews got hurt and Nuñez got optioned to AAA. Even if he will likely never hit enough to be more than a utility infielder and pinch runner, Nuñez has the kind of personality every clubhouse needs to get through the six-month grind of a season, and I very much hope that we see him again after the deadline.

Amed Rosario, 2B/3B (B-) - Used appropriately (read: essentially only against lefties), Rosario has been a pleasant surprise at the dish, hitting for a 109 wRC+ with more pop than expected (5 bolts). His defense, however, has been excruciatingly bad at either second or third base, but he has pretty good odds of having a new home come August.

Keibert Ruiz, C (F) - The only National with a guaranteed contract beyond 2026 (his deal runs through 2030 with a couple of team options after that), Ruiz got off to a hot start for the first time in his MLB career, hitting .364/.426/.509 for the first three weeks of the season. Since then? A .215/.233/.265 line and the worst framing and catcher defense in the entire sport. Oof. To top it off, he was rushed back from a concussion without so much as a rehab appearance and then immediately suffered another one, an ugly sequence which arguably should have cost head trainer Paul Lessard his job along with Rizzo and Martinez. Although it is long, at least Ruiz won’t make eight figures in any single season of his deal, and at some point in the next year or two if Caleb Lomavita clicks the Nats could live with Ruiz as a marginally expensive backup.

José Tena, 3B (B-) - Tena got off to a slow start but recovered enough to wind up as almost a league average hitter (96 wRC+) before getting sent down last month in favor of House. The defense, while still not great, was far better than the butchery he displayed after his arrival last year, and he could still be a serviceable bat-first utility infielder - but as yet another lefty hitter on a team with three of those already on the dirt, it might not happen with the Nats.

Since the primary designated hitter is nominally an infielder, the Nats have only had six outfielders play this season as opposed to fourteen infielders and catchers:

Alex Call, OF (B+) - Call is tied for fourth on the team in walks (24) despite ranking eighth in plate appearances (217), leading to a 120 wRC+, and you almost never see a bad at-bat from him. He is what he is, a cromulent fourth outfielder who won’t hurt you too much anywhere but shouldn’t be an everyday guy, and at least can be a model of a professional grinder for all the youths (did you read that in Joe Pesci’s voice?) on this team.

Dylan Crews, OF (C+) - Crews had a horrific first three weeks at the plate (16 K in 41 PA) compounded by even worse batted ball luck than García Jr., but appeared to be turning a corner when he left a May 20 game against Atlanta with an oblique injury, from which he has yet to return. Even with the early struggles he appears to be a natural leader and source of energy, and hopefully he can smash his upcoming rehab stint quickly and get back in the lineup to provide some sort of a spark down the stretch.

Robert Hassell III, OF (C-) - The fourth prospect from the Juan Soto trade to rock a curly W on his hat very much appeared to be pressing in his 21-game cameo after Crews went down, walking just once in 79 trips to the plate and barely impacting the baseball at all. He has looked MUCH more relaxed since returning to Rochester in June, and there is hope that a second stint might look better than the first.

Daylen Lile, OF (B-) - Before the season started I would not have expected Lile to crack the majors this season, but Lile conquered both AA and AAA quickly, earning him a debut call-up just after Hassell to replace the injured Jacob Young. The bat looks pretty good despite some bad luck - although he could stand to walk more - and the athleticism is certainly enough to suggest that the brutal defense (so far) might improve enough to at least be a strong-side platoon outfielder.

James Wood, OF (A) - The over/under for “2025 James Wood HR” was 17.5 before the season started, and Wood eclipsed that on June 16th in the 72nd game of the year. Not only has he been far and away the Nats’ best hitter (152 wRC+) and a good base runner, Wood has been a vastly improved left fielder as well, to the point that he might earn some Gold Glove consideration in his first full season. He’s a superstar, folks, and he won’t turn 23 until September.

Jacob Young, OF (C-) - To be fair, Young’s defense - his single best attribute - has still been very good in 2025, although he is not taking away quite as many hits as he was at this point last year. The rest, however? Big yikes. After bulking up some over the winter, Young’s bat has gone south (71 wRC+) and his base running has been awful - despite 95th percentile sprint speed he leads the majors in caught stealing with nine - which has shone a huge spotlight on his limitations as an everyday player. When Crews returns, Young and either Lile or Hassell should be in a straight platoon, with Crews manning center when Young is not playing.

Only seven different pitchers have started games for the Nats in 2025, and we left one of them in the next section (bullpen) where he has spent more time:

MacKenzie Gore, LHP (A) - We have all seen Gore’s maturation from talented hothead into bona fide ace, but the thing I keep coming back to is this; after two years of regular blowup starts where things could easily get away from him, Gore has allowed three runs in an inning exactly once this season.

Jake Irvin, RHP (C) - Irvin has reverted to the homer-prone pitcher he was in 2023, currently pacing the NL with 22 bombs, and is also carrying worse strikeout and walk ratios than a year ago. Have we already seen his best?

Shinnosuke Ogasawara, LHP (D) - Nothing about his performance this spring indicated that Ogasawara was ready for the majors, and his two starts just before the break confirmed that. He has no velocity to speak of and no true out pitch.

Mitchell Parker, LHP (C-) - What happened to the Parker of April? Since the weather warmed up, the big lefty has struggled mightily, particularly in the early innings of a start, and appears to be in jeopardy of losing his spot in the rotation if anyone can claim it (Brad Lord, perhaps?).

Michael Soroka, RHP (C+) - If you only look at innings one through five, Soroka has been a perfectly cromulent pitcher for the Nats this year, with a 4.21 ERA in those frames. However, in the eight times Davey pushed him into a sixth inning, he has surrendered eleven earned runs in just five and a third innings pitched, making his season line look much worse than how he’s pitched for the most part. There might be something there worth keeping as he continues to get further away from his two seasons lost to injury.

Trevor Williams, RHP (D) - The Williams of 2024 (very good until he got hurt in June) turned out to be a mirage, and now that he has a sprained elbow it is quite possible that we may never see him pitch again in a Nationals uniform.

Trigger warning - the descriptions of the Nationals’ abominable relief corps may induce nausea in some patients:

Zach Brzykcy, RHP (C-) - Scrabble 2.0 is prone both to walking guys and to giving up home runs, a bad combination for any pitcher, let alone one whom the Nats were hoping not that long ago could turn into a late inning weapon. After 23 appearances in the majors with a 7.40 ERA, the Brick is currently back in Rochester.

Andrew Chafin, LHP (B+) - Chafin has been his usual self, a serviceable lefty reliever who can laugh at himself and always works hard. Will he still be on the team in two weeks?

Jose A. Ferrer, LHP (C-) - No pitcher has been as disappointing as Ferrer, a lefty with 100-mph heat and a killer changeup who should be a dominant matchup reliever. But like so many others on this pitching staff, Ferrer has wilted under even a modicum of pressure many times, and is holding on to a setup role chiefly by default.

Kyle Finnegan, RHP (B) - Finnegan is what he is, a solid closer who lives on the edge in most appearances and doesn’t have dominant stuff, and with the team’s slide into further irrelevance over the past six weeks has not had many opportunities to pitch at all. Does the pending free agent get dealt this time around?

Luis García, RHP (C+) - No, not the same guy. This LG was claimed off waivers from the Dodgers a couple of weeks ago and is 38 years old. He is here to help stabilize one of the worst bullpens in baseball with unexciting competence.

Cole Henry, RHP (B) - It’s amazing that Henry has made it to the majors in any capacity after his 2022 thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, and between April 28th and June 8th allowed zero runs across fourteen relief appearances. Even though he has been a little more up and down since that streak ended, Henry has been one of the stronger relievers in the Washington bullpen.

Andry Lara, RHP (C) - It feels like Lara has been around forever, and in a sense he has; he signed with the Nats out of Venezuela in 2019. But he’s still just 22 years old, and we don’t really know what the plan is for him yet after two major league appearances.

Jorge López, RHP (F) - The last of Rizzo’s offseason free agent relievers to be released, López was as volatile as his history suggested he would be before he was jettisoned at the end of May. He was supposed to be the top setup man this year, but that clearly didn’t work out.

Brad Lord, RHP (A) - The second coming of Tanner Roark started six games while Soroka was injured but has become the Nats’ steadiest reliever since returning to the bullpen. His command hasn’t been quite as good as in his minor league breakout a year ago, but whether as a starter or a reliever his future looks very promising.

Ryan Loutos, RHP (D-) - Loud Outs was another waiver claim from the Dodgers within the past few weeks, but in just a handful of outings he already has an ERA a hair below 10.00 (One of us! One of us!). He has mercifully been sent to Rochester.

Colin Poche, LHP (F) - Signed over the winter from Tampa Bay, Poche was meant to be a steady southpaw but forgot how to throw strikes (maybe Rizzo should have kept the signs from last year up?), walking a dozen batters while recording a mere twenty-six outs before his DFA.

Orlando Ribalta, RHP (B+) - Ribalta was effective in all but one of his appearances this April before Davey had to go and have him throw 54 pitches in an outing (when he was almost never exceeding half that many pitches in any outing last year in AA or AAA). Predictably, he hurt his elbow, and has been rehabbing of late in a bid to make it back this season.

Jackson Rutledge, RHP (D) - Rutledge got off to a good start in his relief career, striking out more than a batter an inning and carrying an ERA under 3.00 in his first sixteen appearances. In the following sixteen outings, however, he has averaged more than a run an inning while seeing the strikeout rate plummet, and looks like he will be next in line for a bus ticket to Rochester.

Eduardo Sálazar, RHP (D-) - Do not under any circumstances put this man into even a medium-leverage outing, as he will find a way to turn the game into a blowout under any semblance of pressure. It’s been that bad, and he only avoids an F by the slimmest of margins.

Lucas Sims, RHP (F) - The third and final failure of a free agent reliever, Sims hit seven batters and walked a further fourteen in his twelve innings with the Nationals before he was mercifully released.

Mason Thompson, RHP (C) - After missing a year and a half due to Tommy John surgery, Big Red returned to the Nationals earlier this month and has pitched in four games. Hopefully he can provide a little stability to the worst unit on the team.

📌 Post-ASB Power Rankings (Yahoo!)

📌 Law’s NL East Draft Grades (The Athletic)

📌 Second Half Storylines (Fangraphs)