A New Era to See Through:

The Next wave for the Washington Nationals.

Infielders

By: Michael A. Chase Jr.

8/7/2021

         Here is part 3 of the 4-article set discussing some of the key prospects that will be instrumental in the Nationals rebuild. Today’s 3rd installment will focus on highlighting a few of the intriguing infield prospects that will get a chance over the next couple seasons to lockdown spots on the big-league roster. As the Nationals infield will be getting a large makeover over the next two to four seasons. The key players that will be discussed in this part 3 will be former first round pick Carter Kieboom, Luis Garcia, 2021 first round pick Brady House, and Drew Mendoza. As this quartet all have notoriety amongst the fanbase, each with varying degrees of development to undergo.

Infielders:

-        For the Nationals, the infield for the better part of a decade has been a strength of this team. From players like Trea Turner, Ian Desmond, Ryan Zimmerman, Anthony Rendon, Daniel Murphy, among others they have had stars across their infield. Players both home-grown in their system and acquired through trade or free agency. Now the Nationals with the departure of Turner, Rendon, and Murphy over the last few years. Along with Zimmerman being on the fringe of retirement a new infield core must be assembled. Meaning the players mentioned below are going to be looked at to form the next wave of infield stars.

Carter Kieboom:

-        In the former 2016 first round pick, the Nationals have a young infielder with intriguing hitting tools, but defensive questions. As a hitter since being recalled this season Kieboom is having his best stretch of success at the big-league level in his still incredibly young career. As in 40 at-bats this season he is hitting .300 with 2 homers and 7 rbi’s. Meaning Kieboom is finally starting to showcase the hitting tools that made him a first round pick and former top prospect. Displaying a better understanding of the strike zone, along with utilization of the entire field. The current area of his game that needs much improvement is his defense. While Kieboom’s defense was always a work in progress, now that he has moved officially to third base his defensive drawbacks are evident. The Nats organization and fans are going to have to deal with the growing pains of a young player figuring out a new position on the fly. At still just 23-years-old he still has plenty of room to grow as a player. The offensive side of his game is coming along, while defense is still a question, but the talent is there to succeed.  

Luis Garcia:

-        The 21-year-old Garcia is currently like Kieboom going to get a ton of playing time the last 2 months of the season. As the organization will use this time to evaluate the young middle infielder. He has some exciting tools and has showcased some of these in the MLB early on. While still having much maturing to do to establish himself as an everyday player in the big leagues. Garcia in 186 career big league at-bats is hitting .253 with 5 career homers and a .669 OPS. Which are solid numbers for a player that debuted at just 19 years old, like Nats star Juan Soto. Garcia already has a reputation for being a terrific defender. With a good arm and great range, making him one of the better infield prospects in terms of defense in the system. Whether he ends up sticking at shortstop or second base fielding will not be an issue. As a young hitter, he continues to learn the strike zone as well as his strengths as a player. While he shows the ability to put the ball in play consistently. He must be more selective at times at the plate to barrel up more baseballs and cut down the amount of weak contact he incurs chasing pitches. If he does this, he can showcase the sneaky power he possesses, while upping his on base percentage. Meaning he can hit further up in a line up long term.

Brady House:

-        This 2021 first round pick is the furthest away from the big leagues of these four prospects. Though he presents the physical tools that make him another terrific infield prospect to add to the organization. The high school prospect has tremendous size at 6’4” 215. Meaning he could move to possibly third base if he outgrows the position. House though displays the athleticism to be a capable defender at short if he sticks there long term. He possesses great raw power that will only increase as he physically matures. Plus, he has matured his approach at the plate leading to him cutting down on strikeouts and more effectively using the entire field. House’s skillset and mentality could make him a quick riser through the Nats system.

Drew Mendoza:

-        In Mendoza, the Nats have a large corner infielder who has upside worth looking into as a prospect. A player who has a bat that can play in the big leagues, but maybe not a set position he can settle in at yet. Mendoza has shown to be a very patient hitter, though the organization wants to up his aggression at the plate to take advantage of his raw power. Being that he is seen as having the best raw power currently of any prospect in the organization as a hitter. His 6’5” frame should make him a perfect fit at first base, plus with his strong arm could be a defensive asset down the road. Overall Mendoza’s bat will get him a look very soon at the big-league level. Possibly as soon as 2022, but he must continue to find balance at the plate in terms of patience and aggressiveness as a hitter. While growing comfortable defensively at first to become a viable everyday player for the Nats soon.

In the end the Nationals have some talented options in terms of infield prospects to evaluate the next couple years. With some of these players already getting their first extended taste of the MLB. While others remain a year or couple of years away. Either way the future of the Nats infield may come into focus much sooner than some people think. As they have young players ready or vying to make an impact and create the next great core.