If recent history can be used to predict future events, the Nationals probably are going to wait a bit longer before promoting Brady House from Triple-A. James Wood certainly looked ready in June 2024, but he didn’t make his debut until July 1 (delayed, perhaps, a couple of weeks by a minor hamstring injury).
But House sure is making a case he’s just about ready right now.
The 2021 first round pick homered again Thursday night for Rochester, going 3-for-5 overall in a 9-6 loss to Worcester. That was merely the latest blast in a sustained run for the 22-year-old third baseman.
Over his last 20 games, House is now batting .325 with a .367 on-base percentage, six doubles, seven homers, 18 RBIs and a robust 1.018 OPS that has to have caught the eye of every Nationals employee, especially general manager Mike Rizzo.
House entered the season needing to prove he could have success at the Triple-A level after a pedestrian 54-game stretch there last summer and fall. By all accounts, he’s done exactly what the organization wanted, both at the plate (12 homers, .527 slugging percentage) and in the field.
He’s still very young, having just turned 22 this week. And he’s still taken only 1,431 plate appearances in the minor leagues.
But Wood was called up after only 1,229 minor league plate appearances, then final 231 of them at Triple-A. And he was still 2 1/2 months shy of his 22nd birthday when he made his much-hyped debut last summer.
House isn’t Wood. He’s not the same caliber prospect. Few are. But he has steadily progressed year by year, staying healthy after missing significant time with a bad back in 2022-23. He has made a smooth transition from shortstop to third base.
And with the Nationals having received only two homers and 23 RBIs from their major league third basemen so far this season while getting erratic defensive play from Jose Tena and Amed Rosario since Paul DeJong went on the injured list, they could certainly use more out of the hot corner.
Maybe the move isn’t happening quite yet. Maybe the Nats wait until next week’s homestand against the Marlins and Rockies. Maybe they wait, as they did with Wood, until the first week of July.
But the Brady House Watch should be on in full effect at this point. It’s no longer a matter of if. It’s a matter of when.