WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals know they need to hit for more power in 2025. They hit the second-fewest home runs in the major leagues last year with 135, only two more than the woeful White Sox.
The offseason additions to the lineup are supposed to address that lack of power. They already know Josh Bell’s homer potential. They believe Nathaniel Lowe can tap into the power he displayed in Texas. And Paul DeJong, while not known for his batting average, has been able to provide some pop throughout his eight-year big league career.
Bell hit his first home run in yesterday’s loss to the Cardinals, a two-run shot for the Nats’ only runs in the first game of their split-squad doubleheader. Lowe has yet to go long. And DeJong finally went deep in today’s 4-3 win over the Astros.
Against Astros closer Josh Hader, DeJong got ahead in the count, ran it full and drove the seventh pitch over the visiting bullpen in left field. There are no Statcast measurements at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, but it traveled far.
“He's been good. He's been really good,” manager Davey Martinez said. “Another veteran guy that knows himself really well. When he connects, he can hit the ball a long way. We saw that today. What I really love, though, is that, honestly, he plays defense really well, too, which is going to help us. It really is. We know when he's up there, he's got a chance to put us in the lead. And I love that about him. So he's been great.”