Most significant stories of 2023: The young guys develop

We’ve reached the final week of the year, so it’s time to look back at the Nationals’ most significant stories of 2023. We conclude the series today with the development of several key young players at both the major- and minor-league levels …

The Nationals won 71 games this year, and they happily accepted the praise that came with the 16-game improvement that represented from the previous year. But at no point during the season did anyone in a position of power within the organization believe the team’s final record would be the best indicator of their success or failure. The best indicator: How many of their young cornerstone players took a step forward and further established themselves as part of the long-term plan.

In that regard, the most important development of 2023 wasn’t the 71-91 record. It was the development of CJ Abrams into a dynamic leadoff man and capable shortstop. It was the development of Keibert Ruiz into a more selective – and often clutch – hitter. It was the development of Josiah Gray into an All-Star. It was the development of MacKenzie Gore into a potential future ace. And it was the development of several top prospects in the minors who are now poised to make their major-league debuts sometime in 2024: Dylan Crews, James Wood, Brady House and more.

“I think we’re in a good place,” general manager Mike Rizzo said at season’s end. “I like where our young core major leaguers are, and I like the developmental year that the minor leagues had. I think that we’re on track to turn this thing around in the near future.”

None of these players, to be sure, has reached his full potential yet. Each of them still has something significant to improve upon before he truly can be deemed part of the plan. But it’s hard to dispute that each of them did take a step forward in 2023, and that’s why the Nationals are encouraged.

Abrams’ development from early in the season to the end of the season might have been most impressive of them all. The 23-year-old had a nightmare of an Opening Day, going 0-for-4 with three errors, and through his first 63 games he was batting a paltry .215/.259/.365 with eight walks and six stolen bases.

Then Davey Martinez moved him up to the leadoff spot, and Abrams took off. Over his final 88 games, he batted .265/.325/.442 with 24 walks and 41 steals in 43 attempts. He also committed only eight errors over his final 71 games, further evidence of his development.

The biggest moment of Ruiz’s year actually occurred before the season opened. The 25-year-old catcher agreed to an eight-year, $50 million extension during spring training, in the process becoming the first player in Nats history to sign a long-term deal before reaching arbitration eligibility.

The pressure of that deal might have weighed on Ruiz’s mind early on; he finished the first half with a disappointing .226/.279/.360 slash line. But he started to become more selective at the plate after that and finished the second half with a robust .300/.342/.467 slash line. Throughout it all, he was one of the most consistently clutch hitters in the league, batting .365 with runners in scoring position.

Ruiz did struggle mightily behind the plate, both with his pitch framing and inability to stop the running game (opponents swiped 119 bases off him and his pitchers). That will be a point of emphasis heading into 2024. But in spite of his defensive woes, his offensive prowess was legitimate.

On the pitching side, nobody made more progress than Gray, who finished 2022 with a 5.02 ERA while leading the league in both walks (66) and homers surrendered (38). Walks still plagued the right-hander this season, but he lowered his ERA to 3.91 and his home run total to 22, allowing him to avoid many of the blowup innings that plagued him in the past.

Like the others, Gray was far from perfect. The walks continue to be a problem. And he struggled through most of the second half. But he made some adjustments down the stretch and finished strong in September after earning his first career All-Star selection in July.

Gray was the Nats’ best pitcher this season. Club officials admit he’s not supposed to be their best pitcher long-term, though. That distinction could either go to Cade Cavalli (who missed the entire year following Tommy John surgery) or Gore, who had an up-and-down first season in D.C. but flashed more than enough promise to make you think he could be something special.

The 24-year-old lefty wound up with 17 wins or no-decisions, and in those games he posted a 2.58 ERA and 1.282 WHIP. The problem were his 10 losses, during which those numbers skyrocketed to 7.71 and 1.612. If he can find a way to minimize those lousy starts, Gore does have the potential and the makeup to ascend to the No. 1 spot in the Nationals’ rotation before long.

Those four young players represented the future for the Nats at the big-league level. A host of others could join them soon enough after impressive minor-league seasons. Crews, the second-overall pick in the draft, dominated rookie ball and Single-A and made it to Double-A in September. Wood, now regarded as a top-10 prospect in the sport, blasted 26 homers with 18 steals in 129 games split between Single-A and Double-A. House, the 11th-overall pick in 2021, bounced back from an injury-plagued 2022 to slash .312/.365/.497 in 88 games at three levels of the organization, all while getting accustomed to his new position at third base.

That’s seven young players at the forefront of the Nationals’ rebuild who enjoyed positive seasons. It would be naïve to assume all seven will take another step forward in 2024, with regression or injury bound to haunt someone along the way.

But for a franchise trying to get back to the top of the mountain after plummeting to the depths of the sport in recent years, it’s impossible to look at what those seven players did this season and not be encouraged.