What will be the biggest positional battles for the Washington Nationals at Spring Training?

Spring Training will be a massive opportunity for so many players on this roster. With a new regime coming in, everyone will be evaluated and spots will be up for grabs. There are going to be camp competitions all over this roster. I wanted to break down some of the competitions to watch.

We did a deep dive on the catcher battle yesterday, so we will avoid that. However, there are so many more competitions to discuss. There are open spots up and down this roster. From the bullpen, to first base, to bench spots, roster spots are up for grabs.

First Base Job Up For Grabs:

The most wide open competition of the spring could be for the first base job. Unless the Nats sign Rhys Hoskins or Paul Goldschmidt, there will be a true competition. There are four or five contenders that all could realistically win the job. In the end, I think there will be a platoon, but there are a number of candidates.

There are five players who I think are in the mix here. Abimelec Ortiz, Matt Mervis, Warming Bernabel, Andres Chaparro and Yohandy Morales will all get chances. Mervis and Bernabel signed minor league deals with Spring Training invites, but have MLB experience. Chaparro also has MLB experience and has mashed in AAA. However, none of these guys have been great in the MLB.

My favorite of the group is Abimelec Ortiz. The Nats acquired him from the Rangers in the MacKenzie Gore deal. While he has not made his MLB debut yet, he was fantastic in AAA last year. Ortiz has big time power, but also has the angles to consistently pull the ball in the air for home runs.

Morales may have even more raw power than Ortiz, but his angles are not as good. He hits the ball on the ground much more than you would like from a power hitter. Morales also struck at a 30% clip in AAA last year. While he has the most upside of the group, he is still raw. However, with a big spring, Morales has a chance to win the job.

This is a true competition though. There are not any clear favorites right now. Unless the Nats sign a 1B in free agency, this will be a fight that won’t be decided until the very end of Spring Training. May the best man win.

A Look at the Outfield Situation

The outfield is the strength of this Nationals team. They have stars like James Wood, but also plenty of depth. As of right now, Wood, Daylen Lile, Dylan Crews and Jacob Young seem like locks to make the team. However, I think the Nats are going to carry a fifth outfielder.

If they decide to do that, there will be plenty of candidates. Christian Franklin, Robert Hassell, Joey Wiemer and Andrew Pinckney are all in play for that role. A lot of times teams only carry four outfielders, but the Nats have so many guys in the outfield. They will also be rotating a lot of these players in the DH position.

Robert Hassell III is the most high profile of these names. He was one of the prizes of the Juan Soto trade in 2022, but has not developed as expected. Hassell finally showed some promise in AAA last year, but really struggled in the MLB.

In an event the other day, Blake Butera said that Hassell added 25 pounds of bulk this offseason. While he clearly had room to fill out, 25 pounds feels like a lot to me. Nats fans are going to be skeptical about this after the Jacob Young situation last year. Adding that much mass as an athletic outfielder has negatives.

However, Hassell clearly thought he needed to add more power. Based on his MLB production, he clearly needed to change something. While he is the highest profile name, I do not think he is the favorite.

My favorite player of the group is Christian Franklin. The Nats acquired him at the deadline in part of the Michael Soroka trade. He had a nice year in AAA last year and should be MLB ready at 26. Franklin is a well-rounded player who can do a bit of everything. I really like the idea of him as a platoon bat who specializes against left handed pitching.

Joey Wiemer is also a name to watch. Paul Toboni picked him up off of waivers this offseason. He is a tremendous athlete with big power, but is not a great hitter. He will get a shot to make the roster. Andrew Pinckney has a similar profile to Wiemer. He is a non-roster invite, so he will be on the outside looking in. Franklin is my favorite, but this is an open competition.

What is up With the Bullpen

The Nationals bullpen is painfully short on proven commodities. Despite the ‘pen being a clear need, Toboni has not signed any veterans to reinforce the group. Instead, he is relying on waiver claims and internal development.

Last year, Mike Rizzo tried the veteran route, and it failed miserably. So, I suppose Toboni’s lower profile strategy deserves a shot. The Nats have a few young, interesting relief arms like Cole Henry, Clayton Beeter, PJ Poulin and Griff McGarry, who should make the team.

However, there are so many spots up for grabs. Jackson Rutledge, Orlando Ribalta and Julian Fernandez have big league experience, but they have not been great. Can Toboni unlock anything in those three? I think Rutledge has a good slider he should throw more and Ribalta looks very good when he is on. They have been very inconsistent though.

Then there are the waiver claims. Just this offseason, Toboni has claimed Paxton Schultz, Gus Varland, Richard Lovelady and George Soriano. Some of these guys are bound to contribute in some way. They could also be DFA’d at any moment based on how Toboni uses the wire.

My favorite of the waiver wire pick ups is Paxton Schultz. He showed some really nice things as a swing man for the Blue Jays last year. His MLB debut was memorable, striking out 8 in 4.1 innings. He has a good chance of being a solid, versatile piece for the Nats.

The other guys I do not have as much faith in. Gus Varland was solid in 2024, but had an injury riddled season last year. Lovelady gets ground balls, but has mostly struggled at the MLB level. George Soriano has good stuff, but had a brutal 2025. Maybe one of these guys can find a new level with the Nats. Regardless, there are a lot of options in the bullpen, but none of them are proven.

Other Competitions to Watch:

These three camp battles are the ones I am most fascinated about, but there are more. The rotation has a lot of uncertainty as well. There have been rumblings that the Nats could sign another starter, but that has not happened yet.

Right now, Cade Cavalli, Foster Griffin, Jake Irvin, Brad Lord and Josiah Gray seem fairly likely to be the starting five. However, Mitchell Parker and Andrew Alvarez will also be in the mix. Luis Perales could even get a shot if he has a phenomenal spring.

There will also be a competition for the bench spot on the infield. Nasim Nunez is the favorite to win that battle. However, Jose Tena and Orelvis Martinez will also be vying for that spot.

This Nats team is so unsettled, and I don’t necessarily think that is a bad thing. Paul Toboni is treating this like an evaluation year. Spring Training will be the first data point in that evaluation. I think there are going to be a lot of roster moves throughout the season and a lot of these players will be getting chances. If guys aren’t performing, they will be at risk of being replaced.

What will be the biggest positional battles for the Washington Nationals at Spring Training?

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