Two Youngsters Beginning to Shine for the Nationals

The Washington Nationals are off to an 11-18 start in the 2023 MLB season. As was widely predicted, this appears to be a ‘rebuilding year’ in Washington, with a handful of journeymen on the roster and a lack of hype in the wake of the Juan Soto trade this past August.

However, there are a couple of young Nats players who are beginning to catch on. Shortstop CJ Abrams and Second-Baseman Luis Garcia are both just 22 years old and have both established themselves as everyday starters in the lineup.

Together, they form MLB's youngest middle infield.

Luis Garcia is a native of New York City and has been with the Nationals since 2020, when he was just 19. In his third ever MLB game, he became the first player born in the 2000s to hit a home run (born May 16, 2000).

So far in 2023, he’s shown outstanding defense. He has yet to record an error in 87 total chances and has turned 17 double plays.

At the plate, he’s off to a slower start than his career average, batting .236, but is tied for a team-high 14 RBI’s on 21 hits.

On the other side of the middle infield sits fellow youngster, Shortstop CJ Abrams.

A native of Alpharetta, GA, Abrams is just beginning his first full season in Washington. The shortstop came to D.C. as a part of the Juan Soto trade in August and has hit the ground running in a Nationals uniform.

In just his second season in the league, Abrams is batting .242 with 14 RBI’s in 28 games.

He is fresh off a three hit performance against the Cubs on Tuesday night and just last week had a 4 RBI performance after hitting a grand slam in a loss to the Mets.

With the young middle infield of Abrams and Garcia, the Nationals are beginning to establish a core of players that could be around for a while. Might they be better sooner than expected?