The Washington Nationals are painfully light on experience. From the front office to the coaching staff to the players, there aren’t many proven commodities. This is both exciting and somewhat worrying. As we get deeper into the offseason, the need for veteran leadership has become increasingly apparent.
We’ve talked a lot about the inexperience of the front office and coaching staff. The influx of people in their thirties was quite exciting. In recent years, the Nats front office and coaching staff have been old and behind the 8-ball. Now it feels like the Nats are trying to modernize, which I like.
It’s a risky move, but the reward is also very high. These young minds seem to be leading the way and have a bright future ahead of them. One thing that has become concerning, however, is the complete lack of experience on the roster. The Nats have not been active in free agency and have little regard for players who could play a mentor role.
At the moment the Nats roster has a combined one playoff at-bat and zero playoff innings. The only playoff at-bat actually came from their new catcher Harry Ford, who got a hit last postseason. Additionally, no National has ever played in a playoff game.
This will be a young roster, but I hope Paul Toboni brings in at least one guy who has been there and done that. By far the oldest player on the roster right now is Trevor Williams, who won’t even be ready to start the season yet. Even Williams, who has been in the league since 2016, has never appeared in a playoff game. There is a real shortage of guys who have won a lot of baseball games in their careers.
I worry about the culture and how all the loss will impact it. Besides Williams, there aren’t many other major league players on the roster. Even in a young team you need some mentors. Who will players like James Wood and Dylan Crews learn from in this dressing room? Keibert Ruiz is a long-time head of this team at this point.
Currently, the three oldest players on the roster are Riley Adams, Drew Millas and Keibert Ruiz. That’s pretty crazy if you ask me. They need to bring someone in to help establish a culture. It’s pretty clear they aren’t going to spend a lot of money this season, but a Josh Bell-like veteran is needed.
Rhys Hoskins is a man who strikes me as strong. He has seen it all in his career. When he emerged, Hoskins was on a rebuilding Phillies team looking to regain prominence. Later in his time with the Phillies, he was part of more competitive, veteran-heavy teams.
Then Hoskins went to the Brewers, where he was part of a different winning culture. The Brewers culture is more analytical and not built around stars. Hoskins seems like someone who would be a good mentor and also a solid first baseman.
Given how inexperienced this roster is, I would be very disappointed if Paul Toboni didn’t bring in more experience. At times, Mike Rizzo may have relied too much on these cheap veterans on one-year deals. However, the lack of mentors in the team also causes problems.
You have to choose the right kind of guys. We saw that last year when the Nats brought in Nathaniel Lowe as a leader, which didn’t work out. Just because a man is a veteran does not mean he is a leader. However, you need some experience to take stock.
This is a new era where the development of young players is the top priority. However, Toboni constantly mentions that you win with people. That’s certainly true in an MLB locker room. Without mentors, development is more difficult. The Nats need to bring in some veterans who have the right skills to help this young group.
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