After rough stretch, Nats try to recapture defensive improvement

When looking for reasons to explain the Nationals’ more competitive play early this season, it was easy to point to the club’s improved defense as a significant factor.

After rating as the majors’ worst defensive team in 2022, the Nats ended April ranked 22nd with minus-4 Defensive Runs Saved. That’s far from excellent play in the field, but it did represent real improvement from the previous year.

When they take the field this afternoon, though, the Nationals find themselves back at the bottom of the list. They entered the day with minus-29 DRS, tied with the Athletics for worst in the sport.

Defensive metrics, of course, remain far from a perfect measurement of actual defensive play. But the eye test also seems to suggest the team’s performance has regressed in this area over the last month or so.

“I still feel like we’re playing pretty good defense,” manager Davey Martinez insisted today. “Look, you’ve got to remember we’ve got two guys that are really young in the middle of the field, and it’s going to be part of the process. But I think overall they’re doing well.”

The young middle infield duo of CJ Abrams and Luis García does draw most of the attention, given the premium positions they play and their importance to the Nationals’ long-term hopes. And when they don’t make a play, as was the case Friday night when Abrams couldn’t cleanly field a grounder up the middle that led to the Marlins’ winning run, it gets noticed.

But those guys aren’t really responsible for the team’s defensive regression. García is currently at minus-1 DRS, with Abrams at minus-3. Not great numbers, but not bottom-of-the-league stuff.

The Nationals rate worse at catcher, with Keibert Ruiz at minus-6 DRS and Riley Adams at minus-3. They rate worse at pitcher, with the entire staff at minus-5 DRS. And they rate worse in the outfield, with everyone combining to land at minus-7 DRS and Victor Robles surprisingly at the bottom of the pack on a personal level at minus-9 (despite having missed more than a month with a back injury).

There are errors (43 of them, fourth-most in the majors) but beyond that there have been mental mistakes that have come in critical moments. Attempts to make tough throws when the right decision would’ve been to hold onto the ball. Missing the cutoff man in an attempt to throw out a runner at third or the plate, allowing a trailing runner to advance as well. And a poor job overall at stopping opponents from stealing bases.

Improvement in those areas, Martinez believes, is more important than limiting physical errors that will always be part of the game.

“The biggest thing to understand is the moment of the game, and not try to be so quick,” he said. “Just focus on catching the baseball and then see what else happens. If you catch the baseball and you don’t have a play, then you don’t throw the ball … and we try to get the next guy out. If you look up and you do think you have a play, the next part of it is to make a good throw.”