Takeaways from Washington Nationals Spring Training

The Washington Nationals are set to close out spring training on Monday in game two against the Baltimore Orioles as we break down the good, bad and ugly to the unofficial start of the Blake Butera era.

RHP Cade Cavalli: deserving of his Opening Day nod, there was never much doubt about who the ace was once the games got going. Cavalli led the team with 14 innings pitched and is one of two pitchers on the team with at least seven innings pitched and no earned runs allowed, doing so with ten strikeouts against just four hits allowed. And three of those hits came in his final performance in the spring in what ended in a 3-1 win over the New York Mets. The strength of the rotation is up for debate after signing a trio of veterans to round out the unit after trading MacKenzie Gore midseason. And after battling injuries for the last three years, it's a deserving and welcomed showing from the former 2020 first round pick.

INF Brady House:

the star of the opening weekend, House proved to be the team's best hitter through the spring. One of four players to draw at least 40 at bats, House led the team in hits (18) and doubles (6) while tying Daylen Lile with a team-high three home runs. Of course, two of the three came on day one of spring training to lift Washington over Miami, 16-8. House is expected to make the final roster where he will resume his duties as the starting third baseman after transitioning into the full-time role in 2025.

Nationals pitching: with all the talk that the Nationals could be one of the worst pitching teams in baseball, spring training proved to be the opposite. Washington allowed the fewest hits (164) and earned runs (83), finished third in runs allowed (104) while finishing at 15th with 255 strikeouts. Jake Irvin and Brad Lord joined Cavalli as the lone pitchers to throw m ore than ten innings as the trio combined for just five earned runs allowed against 23 strikeouts. Clayton Beeter, a candidate to take over the vacant closer role and through seven games and 6.1 innings, he posted 12 strikeouts while not allowing a run. Whether Washington can continue that momentum into the regular season is the next question, but there's a lot to like from the group led by Simon Matthews.

Star power hitting: midway through spring training, it was a true question mark. The trio of Dylan Crews, Daylen Lile and James Wood combined for six strikeouts in their first nine at bats. Wood went hitless through his first four games while his lone multi-hit game during the spring came back on March 16 after he went 3-of-5 with a double and home run in a 12-6 win against the Mets. Lile, hitless in his first five appearances, had spurts with just two games with two hits, though he also posted three home runs including the lone run in Sunday's loss against the Orioles. CJ Abrams did well making contact through spring training where, despite finishing without a home run and two RBIs in 41 at bats, hit .244 with a .706 OPS.

Dylan Crews: the biggest headline of Nationals spring training came days before spring training officially came to a close materialized when Crews was announced as one of two players sent down to Triple A Rochester. But it marks a surprise given the player's profile - a former Golden Spikes Award winner who became the second overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft with two years of experience ahead of the Blake Butera era. But the announcement matched his production - Crews finished the spring hitting .103 with two RBIs and one stolen base in 29 at bats. He also posted 11 strikeouts, striking out at least once in all but three appearances. Though humbling, opening the regular season in Triple A gives Crews a chance to establish much-needed consistency before materializing into a starter once again.