"While obviously the games are relatively meaningless, you want to at least see your star players perform well against often inferior opponents they are going up against. This is a big reason why it might be time to panic a little bit, as although the Nationals dropped Sunday's contest to the St. Louis Cardinals by a score of 6-3 in Miles Mikolas' revenge start, he was not the sole reason for the defeat."
"In fact, the team's star core of youngsters including CJ Abrams, James Wood, Daylen Lile, and Dylan Crews combined to go just 1/12 with a walk and 6 strikeouts...yikes. In fact, outside of Brady House, basically the entire rest of the projected Nationals' regulars are all hitting below .200, with a lot of them having notched over 20 plate appearances."
"In the case of Crews, he added another hat trick of strikeouts and watched his average dip to .125, as his ugly spring training continues. At this point, it is legitimately fair to wonder if he is better off starting the season in AAA Rochester so that he can get back to work with a lot of the new technology the Nationals' new front office has brought in."
The Washington Nationals face low expectations for the 2026 season, projected to finish fourth in the NL East with fewer than 70 wins. Recent spring training performances have intensified concerns, particularly among the team's young core players. In a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, star prospects CJ Abrams, James Wood, Daylen Lile, and Dylan Crews combined for just one hit in twelve at-bats with six strikeouts. Dylan Crews has been especially disappointing, batting .125 with multiple strikeout games. Most projected regulars are hitting below .200 with significant plate appearances. These struggles suggest the young players need development, with some potentially benefiting from additional time in minor league facilities to work with the organization's new technological resources.
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