WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It would be easy for Brady House to look back at his 2022 season, which lasted only 45 games and included zero games played after June 11, and consider it a lost year.
This was supposed to be the Nationals’ 2021 first-round pick’s first full pro season, an opportunity to really show what he could do at low Single-A and establish himself as one of the best prospects in baseball. Instead, the unfortunate combination of a COVID-19 bout and a lower back injury derailed those plans and left House watching from the dugout for months.
Now, as he starts over again this spring, House could feel the weight of that missed opportunity and put more pressure on himself to make up for lost time in 2023. The 19-year-old, though, has chosen a completely different approach to the situation.
“It is frustrating, but everything happens for a reason,” he said. “I believe this is only going to make me better. And I’m looking forward to seeing what happens this year.”
One year ago, the Nationals and the baseball world were as high on House as they could get. The 11th overall pick out of Winder-Barrow High School in Georgia, he tore up the rookie Florida Complex League to the tune of a .322/.394/.576 slash line and earned a top-50 prospect rating in the sport.