Despite lack of homers, Meneses delivered for Nats

PLAYER REVIEW: JOEY MENESES

Age on Opening Day 2024: 31

How acquired: Signed as minor league free agent, January 2022

MLB service time: 1 year, 65 days

2023 salary: $723,300

Contract status: Under team control, arbitration-eligible in 2026, free agent in 2029

2023 stats: 154 G, 657 PA, 611 AB, 71 R, 168 H, 36 2B, 1 3B, 13 HR, 89 RBI, 0 SB, 0 CS, 38 BB, 130 SO, .275 AVG, .321 OBP, .401 SLG, .722 OPS, 99 OPS+, 0 DRS, 0.5 bWAR, -0.2 fWAR

Quotable: “I think Joey has come a long way. In his first full season as a major league hitter, I think he’s performed well. He’s shown that as a middle-of-the-order hitter that he can drive in runs. He’s not afraid to get a big hit with men on base. I think those are all skills that you’re not born with, so you need to develop. And I think he has developed those.” – Mike Rizzo

2023 analysis: After bursting onto the scene in most unlikely fashion after the 2022 trade deadline, Meneses entered this season as a massive unknown for the Nationals. Could he sustain his two months of MVP-level production over an entire season? Would he be a complete flash in the pan? The ultimate answer fell somewhere in the middle, though arguably more in the direction of the former than the latter.

Though he endured through a few slumps along the way, Meneses hit all season long. He ranked 11th in the National League in hits, eighth in doubles. And his consistent prowess in clutch situations was as good as anyone. He batted .363 with runners in scoring position, .316 in high-leverage spots. He was downright automatic getting a runner home from third with less than two outs: 17-for-31 (a .548 batting average) with five doubles, two homers, three sacrifice flies, 31 RBIs, only four strikeouts and a 1.418 OPS.

The only real drop-off in production from 2022 to 2023 was in home runs, and it was dramatic. After launching 13 homers in only 240 plate appearances after his August call-up from Triple-A, he hit only 13 in 657 plate appearances in his first full big league season. There was briefly some hope he had solved the problem in July; after hitting only two homers in his first 80 games, Meneses suddenly popped nine of them over his next 26 games. But he fell back into that familiar power slump down the stretch, homering only twice over his final 48 games.

2024 outlook: Can a 31-year-old designated hitter with only 210 games of major league experience be considered part of a rebuilding team’s long-term plan? That’s the question the Nationals have been facing all along with Meneses. He certainly doesn’t fit the typical profile of a building block. But his unusual contract situation – he can’t become a free agent until he’s nearly 37 – and penchant for clutch hitting do make club officials pause and wonder if he might still fit into the bigger picture.

At this point, the Nats probably have to accept what Meneses is, and what he isn’t. He’s probably never going to be a true middle-of-the-order bat who can be counted upon for 20-plus homers. But he can continue to be a good major league batter who excels at situational hitting. Is there anyone you’d rather have at the plate needing to get the tying run home from third, confident he’ll poke an RBI single to right?

Through no fault of his own, Meneses was asked to do a lot this season. He essentially was the focal point of the Nationals lineup, in spite of his lack of experience. All but two of his starts came as the team’s No. 2, 3 or 4 hitter. When he delivered, he made a difference: He slashed .350/.391/.549 in games the team won, only .209/.260/.271 in games the team lost.

Hopefully a year from now, the Nats don’t need Meneses to play such a prominent role. If top prospects pan out, perhaps he can comfortably move down in the order, spend less time worrying about driving himself in and more time focusing on driving those other guys in. An affordable No. 6 hitter who can be counted upon for 150 hits, 30 doubles and 80 RBIs would be a valuable part of a playoff lineup.