00:00:05
Speaker 1: Welcome back to the District Territory podcast, a nice road trip for the Nationals. They finished the season out four and two in Detroit. And after dropping the first game, come back in victorious fashion for the next two. I'm Eric Shellhouse from Bat Boys Baseball. Joining me today, Spencer Nussbaum of The Athletic. As I just mentioned, the Nationals dropping game one, nine to two, but bouncing back with three to one victory on Tuesday. and then a 4-2 on Wednesday. Let's start off with Tuesday because this was the C.J. Abrams show. He got it started by putting the Nationals on top with a solo home run at the top of the second inning, making it 1-0, and then had another later on to throw them on top in the seventh inning and made it 3-1. That was your final score. All C.J. Abrams on Tuesday, Spencer. And he has done superstar things all over the course of the season. It is hard to imagine this Nationals core going into 2027 and beyond being as competitive as it has been this season without CJ.
00:01:06
Speaker 2: Right, and so much of what we were kind of thinking about and discussing before the season and in the middle of the season was whether CJ Abrams would even be a National right now, given, again, the trade conversation around his name, which... I know he heard about in part because every player has heard about it when their name is floated and in part because CJ and I have talked about this, right? And so I think to do what he's done this season under that backdrop is rather remarkable. On top of that, he has had seasons in the past. I think we look at 2024 and 2025 where the results in the second half were not what he wanted. And it looks for a second like it might be trending that way again this season, right? um or in august there was a lot of chase a lot of ground balls not a lot of pulling the ball in the air um and he has since been able to figure it out right we we talked to both him and blake butera after um we are so late in the season i don't even remember what day of the week it was but the second game of the series um and uh blake had said that you know he he felt like and cj kind of felt like Um, there was a time where CJ was one Homer shy of 30 and that was weighing on him a little bit. Just, you know, sometimes you, um, this is like a, they didn't mean it in a rude way per se, but you, you get a little distracted or a little, um, caught up in the things that can take you away from your process. Um, and that kind of reaching that 30 Homer mark might've been part of it. Um, but now he's been able to reset, he's been able to breathe. Um, in these big moments, especially as we saw on the other day, um, he has shown up and, um, it, it has been, if not an a plus season for CJ Abrams and a minus or an a, um, I mean, there really isn't a whole lot, um, at least at the plate to, to say, oh man, I wish he does that better.
00:03:03
Speaker 3: Right.
00:03:03
Speaker 2: It's, it's been phenomenal. And, um, there's a lot to think about moving forward with him for sure.
00:03:09
Speaker 1: Yeah, just to catch you up, the season stats room now hitting 262 with 33 home runs and 33 stolen bases. 35-35 is not completely out of the realm here going into the final weekend against the Mets. And 103 RBIs. The first National to get to the 100 RBI mark since the 2019 squad. This offense also just the third, I believe, to reach the 800 run mark in the Nationals' offensive history.
00:03:38
Speaker 2: Just.
00:03:39
Speaker 1: An incredible season from an offensive perspective, and you hope that that continues into 2027. And the pitching was also something that stuck out to me on Tuesday. Riley Cornelio coming as the opener, and he had two and two-thirds innings, just allowed one hit. He has been drastically different as an opener this season, Spencer, rather than coming in out of the bullpen in the late innings. Is it something that the Nationals would want? really want to consider maybe getting him into the rotation going forward, considering how much success he has had in that role.
00:04:15
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think there's at least been a thought there, right? It is something that I think will continue to be floated and kicked around. There are some caveats, right? He's still walking a good number of batters, and that is especially hard to do when you're a starting pitcher. There's the caveat of kind of his struggles in high leverage, right, where we've seen him really good at the start of the game, um, can be really good in the middle innings, but, um, those late innings are a different beast and one that he might be able to tame next season, but you'd kind of need to see a little bit of proof of concept ahead of time. Um, I've been high on Riley since I'd say middle of last year, late last year. Um, just again, given the stuff, given, um, how much that just plays at the big league level. Um, But I think he'll need to have to throw strikes and really kind of hone in on that cutter for him to be able to be in the same rotation. But I think he's an interesting player. He is someone who can be a part of this team's future. But to do that, he'll obviously have to throw strikes, which I think is a theme we've hit on a number of times this year with a number of guys.
00:05:28
Speaker 1: Yeah. And I guess before Wednesday's victory, let's jump into Monday's game, which... Pitching was kind of what hindered the Nationals. 9-2 final, it was the return of DJ Hurst to a big league mound. He just never really found his footing, only went four innings. But the bigger concern to me here is Luis Perales, who got hit hard. Two innings to his name, five earned runs. His ERA now up to an 11.45 on the season. This is getting a little concerning, in my opinion, Spencer, what we've seen out of him in the bullpen. However, he was brought up originally as a starting pitcher, and I guess I'm kind of confused maybe why the Nationals haven't tried integrating him back into that role. But what, I guess, for him, is it as simple as just finding command of the fastball and the walks have been the issue?
00:06:18
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I think that's like the big picture stuff, right? And maybe it is that simple, and maybe I should stop talking, but I think it could be a handful of things, right? Where at times, especially in the minor leagues, he would lean really heavily on that cutter per se, and it would become predictable because it was the only thing he could consistently locate in the zone. The fastball up here has gotten hit. I don't know if it's a shape issue per se or a sequencing issue, but 99 to 100 generally isn't getting hit up in the big leagues unless that is one of the two issues. And so... Yeah, I think there's a lot of threads to pull on. I know they've talked him up as being a starter in their future, and I don't think they're closing a door on that, nor should they after, you know, whatever it's going to be at the end of the year, 15, 20, 10 big league innings. But given what else they might have in the starting rotation, whether they'd add in free agency or anything like that, I don't know. It's hard to figure out what his role is. You don't want to read too much into the first 20 innings of a guy's big league career, especially when he's 23, barely pitched in the minor leagues. But the Nationals, if they want to be competitive next season, would really, really benefit from him either being a shutdown high leverage guy or a starting pitcher who threw 99. And he hasn't proven either of those things yet. And so I'm really kind of compelled to see hey, this offseason in particular, can he focus on that command? Can the fastball get less edible? And can he be a real piece for the team?
00:08:04
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:08:04
Speaker 1: As you mentioned, such a small sample size, too. Just 11 innings. I probably shouldn't read too much into that. There's a lot to work on in the offseason. Let's take a break. There was Nats history the other day with Nassim Nunez and a lot of other good stuff to talk about.
00:08:21
Speaker 2: So Jay, do you ever find yourself crashing in the afternoon, needing a boost, but not wanting to have caffeine that you know is going to ruin your sleep?
00:08:29
Speaker 3: Oh, yeah, definitely. I found myself on the golf course a lot lately. And sometimes, you know, it can be long days out there. So I reach in my golf bag. I keep the Ultra Focus Pouch right here with me, keep it in my golf bag. And it's part of my golf bag, as I said.
00:08:44
Speaker 2: Yeah. And so what are some of your favorite effects of the Ultra Pouches?
00:08:49
Speaker 3: Definitely gives me a little bit of focus, that little bit of energy that I'm looking for, and obviously not having any caffeine in it is always a plus for me, so I enjoy those things. Ultra is the ultimate guilt-free pouch, delivering instant focus and mental clarity without nicotine or caffeine. New customers can use code BASEBALL to get 15% off at TakeUltra.com. That's TakeUltra.com for 15% off with code BASEBALL. After you purchase, they will ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them our show sent you.
00:09:20
Speaker 1: Wednesday was the cherry on top of the road trip. The Nationals got a 4-2 win. It was a bullpen game, and Nassim Nunez set a National single-season stolen base record. Spencer, as you're tweeting out, he sets the record at 48. He immediately goes and swipes third base for number 49. You talked to him in the postgame, and he had a pretty entertaining quote from there. But what did it mean for him to– I guess, set the record and how has his speed been able to influence the offense this season?
00:09:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, he was kind of conflicted, but leaned on. I forget someone, I think in his family or someone around him gave advice uh, that he should appreciate accomplishments more. Um, and so he was like, yeah, I feel a little conflicted, but, um, ultimately he said he was happy and would look up and say, Hey, I'm the national single season stolen base record holder. And that, that is pretty cool and is deservingly so right. Um, that isn't to say that he like, fully leaned on that. I think Nassim is unbelievably transparent in how he feels. And I think, you know, we obviously appreciate that as a beat. I think fans should appreciate that as well. As you mentioned, he gave that really good quote about how pitchers are, you know, looking over more at him this year and said, you know, I just told my coach and one of my friends, it's like, if you're trying to steal candy at the candy store and the clerk is watching you, you can't steal the candy. So you got to be sneaky. And then he said, I'm not telling any kids to steal candy, but Um, yeah, he's, you know, obviously he's been watched more over there this season and, um, yeah, there, there is, um, again, a lot to think about with Nassim, with his future on the team. Um, he has been candid in admitting, um, the offense is not good enough. He has a good eye at the plate too. So he thinks a lot of it goes back to getting more juice in his bat. Um, he's not sure if that will come from backspin or bat speed or, um, strengthening up. Those are all things he'll figure out this off season, but, um, yeah, he knows, uh, and even set a goal before the season to steal 80 bases. Um, he thinks that that is realistic if he gets on base more, which given what we've seen in the season, stealing 49 with a, uh, on base percentage under 30%. Um, yeah, there's, there's no reason, well, I shouldn't say there's no reason, um, 80 bases a lot, but, um, it is, it is, uh, something where he is holding himself to a higher standard than this but also tying to appreciate it given given what it's uh you know meant to him.
00:11:52
Speaker 1: This season yeah if he stays healthy and can get that on base percentage and find himself down at first base a little bit more often there's no question uh or like you said 80 is a lot of stolen bases but he would seem to be the type of caliber player to pull it off i remember speaking to him at the start of the year too and he said him and Chandler Simpson were just in a competition to see who would finish with more stolen bases at the end of the season. When you're leading the league, you're probably going to win that competition. So hopefully he holds on here for the next three days, and congrats to him on setting the Nationals record. And in that game, Yohani Morales also hit a home run, his second of the series, his second two-run blast of the series. This guy has come up and made a serious impact, Spencer, and it's clear that his bout will play against big league pitching.
00:12:40
Speaker 2: Yeah, again, with Yoandi in particular, he's kind of another one who has a lot of self-awareness, right? Which again, as the media, as fans, always great to appreciate. As a player, it's one of the most important things you can have, right? Where he is confident. I would not sway that at all. But he, when we ask him after the game about what's made his season successful, he talks so much about consistency, right? And how that was something he struggled to find in the past. I followed up by asking him, you know, you hit over 20 homers in AAA, you've hit four and 40 at-bats in the big leagues. Like, how is that, is that not consistent enough? And he was like, well, obviously, you know, that's been pretty good, but you can't just like rest on your laurels and do it for one year. And even beyond that, he knows he has things he can prove, whether it's the chase rate, whether it's the contact rate, those two things in particular, if he got those to even be a little bit better, he really starts to look like, hey, is this an everyday corner infielder? And that's what he wants to be, right? I think every big leaguer wants to be an everyday player. I think Yowandi also will be working on some third base defense this winter, which should potentially help his versatility. But yeah, I'll be the first to admit that the contact rate and the chase rate kind of scared me a little bit where I said, I don't know exactly how that'll play in the big leagues. Um, he struggled against velocity and AAA, which I usually don't read into, um, because just the, the caliber of arms down there is so different. Um, but that was like another thing, obviously he, you know, they were thinking about at the very least, um, he has answered just about every question. And so if the idea is, Hey, he's going to get even better at these things that are hard to improve next year. Um, he, he looks like a, a big leaguer and, um, Yeah, when you go 420 the other way, just trying to put your bat on the ball, it looks like a big leaguer. I'll leave it at that.
00:14:44
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm excited to see what 162 might look from him next season. Like you said, work on the defense in the offseason. He could play a really big role on this team at either corner going into next season. I'll remind all of our listeners and viewers really quickly to subscribe to the District Territory podcast on YouTube or wherever you get your If you're listening on Spotify or Apple Music, we're going to be giving away an Eli Willits, Zion Bowman first later on in the offseason. You don't want to miss that. Let's jump back really quickly to Monday's pitching box score, because I forgot to mention Josiah Gray coming in in the final two innings, although the game was kind of out of hand at that point. He looked good, and it has been an encouraging return for him to the rotation. I just want to give him some flowers. What looked good, I guess, from him on Monday and Sunday it's expected that he'll continue to pitch out of the bullpen, but I would love to see him again here in this weekend against the Mets.
00:15:41
Speaker 2: Yeah. It wasn't quite up to 94, if I'm remembering correctly, like it was in his return, but he's still pitching well. He, I mean, it's just, it's candidly like a great story that he's back. And yeah, I don't, I feel like I don't have a whole lot to add here just because like the, the story itself, feels so much more, um, valuable for lack of a better word than like me spouting off as I usually do about, Oh, he throws 94. Oh, he, you know, his spin rate is this, his horizontal break is that, um, it's, it's really nice to see him back in the clubhouse. Um, seeing him chat with, uh, just DJ before DJ start the other day, um, two guys who were in that clubhouse in 24, uh, at different times, but, um, you know, who, because they've been on the team for more than two years, are some of the longest tenured players on the team, which is bizarre to think about. It's just, it's cool to see him back in the clubhouse talking to people he has either never seen before or, you know, reconnecting with those, you know, Cade, et cetera, K-Bear, who he kind of came up with. And yeah, I honestly think like heading into 2027, right, if the Nationals need potentially a bullpen arm or a leader, however you want to slice it. It's not something to discount, right? Because of what he could potentially bring to that room. And yeah, really interested to see kind of what lays ahead for him.
00:17:16
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:17:17
Speaker 1: The other thing I wanted to hit on before we wrap up today's show was following that Monday loss, I believe it was, Cole Henry was announced to be waived by the Nationals coming into the season. This was a guy that you were thinking, hey, maybe, closer late inning back end stuff. And that just wasn't the case. You acknowledge the team maybe just didn't put them in the best situations to succeed this season, but ultimately choosing to, uh, our ways here and, and move along.
00:17:44
Speaker 2: Yeah. Um, so I think Cole Henry was probably going to be designated for assignment, um, regardless, given the results this year, um, he has to be released for those who don't know, um, because he's on the injured list. And so, um, that's why the nationals had to part ways. All that being said, um, yeah, I don't think the nationals in the best position to succeed this year. Um, where he was really good in high leverage spots, uh, last season, kind of their eighth inning guy, especially in that first half. Um, yeah, you can talk about the FIP and like, I don't think I can discount that stuff. Um, but coming into this season, right? Like sure. Maybe he's not your eighth inning guy anymore. That's fine. Um, but I do think he was one of a number of people who, between getting shuttled back and forth between AAA and the major leagues, between having to throw a multi-inning role where, you know, he's never done that before. He's not doing it in AAA and he's throwing 45 pitches at a time. That didn't serve him well, something that Blake Gutierrez even admitted earlier this season. And so I think that, For someone whose stuff is so good, who needs to work in his command, but it's not, I don't think, going to kill his big league career, right? It'd be really nice to see him kind of latch on with another team because he feels like a guy who could maybe succeed in another situation. And given everything he's been through, I think he has the mentality to figure it out somewhere else. So yeah, this is one of those cases where I think we've talked a lot about the thing the Nationals have done right this year. This is maybe one area where I look at a guy who was a higher leverage reliever last year who couldn't figure it out this year. And I say some of that is volatility and some of that is probably a little bit of mismanagement.
00:19:39
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:19:40
Speaker 1: Well, we will see what the future holds for him. The Nationals, just three games left in this regular season of 2026. It's hard to believe we are already here. I think that's going to conclude it. Next episode, we'll be doing some playoff comparisons to the squads that were able to make it there. I'll just encourage everyone to keep on reading Spencer's stories and everyone's stories over the athletic. Keep watching Bat Boys Baseball and stay tuned to the Foul Territory Network. We'll see you in the next episode, everybody. See you later.
Speaker 1: Welcome back to the District Territory podcast, a nice road trip for the Nationals. They finished the season out four and two in Detroit. And after dropping the first game, come back in victorious fashion for the next two. I'm Eric Shellhouse from Bat Boys Baseball. Joining me today, Spencer Nussbaum of The Athletic. As I just mentioned, the Nationals dropping game one, nine to two, but bouncing back with three to one victory on Tuesday. and then a 4-2 on Wednesday. Let's start off with Tuesday because this was the C.J. Abrams show. He got it started by putting the Nationals on top with a solo home run at the top of the second inning, making it 1-0, and then had another later on to throw them on top in the seventh inning and made it 3-1. That was your final score. All C.J. Abrams on Tuesday, Spencer. And he has done superstar things all over the course of the season. It is hard to imagine this Nationals core going into 2027 and beyond being as competitive as it has been this season without CJ.
00:01:06
Speaker 2: Right, and so much of what we were kind of thinking about and discussing before the season and in the middle of the season was whether CJ Abrams would even be a National right now, given, again, the trade conversation around his name, which... I know he heard about in part because every player has heard about it when their name is floated and in part because CJ and I have talked about this, right? And so I think to do what he's done this season under that backdrop is rather remarkable. On top of that, he has had seasons in the past. I think we look at 2024 and 2025 where the results in the second half were not what he wanted. And it looks for a second like it might be trending that way again this season, right? um or in august there was a lot of chase a lot of ground balls not a lot of pulling the ball in the air um and he has since been able to figure it out right we we talked to both him and blake butera after um we are so late in the season i don't even remember what day of the week it was but the second game of the series um and uh blake had said that you know he he felt like and cj kind of felt like Um, there was a time where CJ was one Homer shy of 30 and that was weighing on him a little bit. Just, you know, sometimes you, um, this is like a, they didn't mean it in a rude way per se, but you, you get a little distracted or a little, um, caught up in the things that can take you away from your process. Um, and that kind of reaching that 30 Homer mark might've been part of it. Um, but now he's been able to reset, he's been able to breathe. Um, in these big moments, especially as we saw on the other day, um, he has shown up and, um, it, it has been, if not an a plus season for CJ Abrams and a minus or an a, um, I mean, there really isn't a whole lot, um, at least at the plate to, to say, oh man, I wish he does that better.
00:03:03
Speaker 3: Right.
00:03:03
Speaker 2: It's, it's been phenomenal. And, um, there's a lot to think about moving forward with him for sure.
00:03:09
Speaker 1: Yeah, just to catch you up, the season stats room now hitting 262 with 33 home runs and 33 stolen bases. 35-35 is not completely out of the realm here going into the final weekend against the Mets. And 103 RBIs. The first National to get to the 100 RBI mark since the 2019 squad. This offense also just the third, I believe, to reach the 800 run mark in the Nationals' offensive history.
00:03:38
Speaker 2: Just.
00:03:39
Speaker 1: An incredible season from an offensive perspective, and you hope that that continues into 2027. And the pitching was also something that stuck out to me on Tuesday. Riley Cornelio coming as the opener, and he had two and two-thirds innings, just allowed one hit. He has been drastically different as an opener this season, Spencer, rather than coming in out of the bullpen in the late innings. Is it something that the Nationals would want? really want to consider maybe getting him into the rotation going forward, considering how much success he has had in that role.
00:04:15
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think there's at least been a thought there, right? It is something that I think will continue to be floated and kicked around. There are some caveats, right? He's still walking a good number of batters, and that is especially hard to do when you're a starting pitcher. There's the caveat of kind of his struggles in high leverage, right, where we've seen him really good at the start of the game, um, can be really good in the middle innings, but, um, those late innings are a different beast and one that he might be able to tame next season, but you'd kind of need to see a little bit of proof of concept ahead of time. Um, I've been high on Riley since I'd say middle of last year, late last year. Um, just again, given the stuff, given, um, how much that just plays at the big league level. Um, But I think he'll need to have to throw strikes and really kind of hone in on that cutter for him to be able to be in the same rotation. But I think he's an interesting player. He is someone who can be a part of this team's future. But to do that, he'll obviously have to throw strikes, which I think is a theme we've hit on a number of times this year with a number of guys.
00:05:28
Speaker 1: Yeah. And I guess before Wednesday's victory, let's jump into Monday's game, which... Pitching was kind of what hindered the Nationals. 9-2 final, it was the return of DJ Hurst to a big league mound. He just never really found his footing, only went four innings. But the bigger concern to me here is Luis Perales, who got hit hard. Two innings to his name, five earned runs. His ERA now up to an 11.45 on the season. This is getting a little concerning, in my opinion, Spencer, what we've seen out of him in the bullpen. However, he was brought up originally as a starting pitcher, and I guess I'm kind of confused maybe why the Nationals haven't tried integrating him back into that role. But what, I guess, for him, is it as simple as just finding command of the fastball and the walks have been the issue?
00:06:18
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I think that's like the big picture stuff, right? And maybe it is that simple, and maybe I should stop talking, but I think it could be a handful of things, right? Where at times, especially in the minor leagues, he would lean really heavily on that cutter per se, and it would become predictable because it was the only thing he could consistently locate in the zone. The fastball up here has gotten hit. I don't know if it's a shape issue per se or a sequencing issue, but 99 to 100 generally isn't getting hit up in the big leagues unless that is one of the two issues. And so... Yeah, I think there's a lot of threads to pull on. I know they've talked him up as being a starter in their future, and I don't think they're closing a door on that, nor should they after, you know, whatever it's going to be at the end of the year, 15, 20, 10 big league innings. But given what else they might have in the starting rotation, whether they'd add in free agency or anything like that, I don't know. It's hard to figure out what his role is. You don't want to read too much into the first 20 innings of a guy's big league career, especially when he's 23, barely pitched in the minor leagues. But the Nationals, if they want to be competitive next season, would really, really benefit from him either being a shutdown high leverage guy or a starting pitcher who threw 99. And he hasn't proven either of those things yet. And so I'm really kind of compelled to see hey, this offseason in particular, can he focus on that command? Can the fastball get less edible? And can he be a real piece for the team?
00:08:04
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:08:04
Speaker 1: As you mentioned, such a small sample size, too. Just 11 innings. I probably shouldn't read too much into that. There's a lot to work on in the offseason. Let's take a break. There was Nats history the other day with Nassim Nunez and a lot of other good stuff to talk about.
00:08:21
Speaker 2: So Jay, do you ever find yourself crashing in the afternoon, needing a boost, but not wanting to have caffeine that you know is going to ruin your sleep?
00:08:29
Speaker 3: Oh, yeah, definitely. I found myself on the golf course a lot lately. And sometimes, you know, it can be long days out there. So I reach in my golf bag. I keep the Ultra Focus Pouch right here with me, keep it in my golf bag. And it's part of my golf bag, as I said.
00:08:44
Speaker 2: Yeah. And so what are some of your favorite effects of the Ultra Pouches?
00:08:49
Speaker 3: Definitely gives me a little bit of focus, that little bit of energy that I'm looking for, and obviously not having any caffeine in it is always a plus for me, so I enjoy those things. Ultra is the ultimate guilt-free pouch, delivering instant focus and mental clarity without nicotine or caffeine. New customers can use code BASEBALL to get 15% off at TakeUltra.com. That's TakeUltra.com for 15% off with code BASEBALL. After you purchase, they will ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them our show sent you.
00:09:20
Speaker 1: Wednesday was the cherry on top of the road trip. The Nationals got a 4-2 win. It was a bullpen game, and Nassim Nunez set a National single-season stolen base record. Spencer, as you're tweeting out, he sets the record at 48. He immediately goes and swipes third base for number 49. You talked to him in the postgame, and he had a pretty entertaining quote from there. But what did it mean for him to– I guess, set the record and how has his speed been able to influence the offense this season?
00:09:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, he was kind of conflicted, but leaned on. I forget someone, I think in his family or someone around him gave advice uh, that he should appreciate accomplishments more. Um, and so he was like, yeah, I feel a little conflicted, but, um, ultimately he said he was happy and would look up and say, Hey, I'm the national single season stolen base record holder. And that, that is pretty cool and is deservingly so right. Um, that isn't to say that he like, fully leaned on that. I think Nassim is unbelievably transparent in how he feels. And I think, you know, we obviously appreciate that as a beat. I think fans should appreciate that as well. As you mentioned, he gave that really good quote about how pitchers are, you know, looking over more at him this year and said, you know, I just told my coach and one of my friends, it's like, if you're trying to steal candy at the candy store and the clerk is watching you, you can't steal the candy. So you got to be sneaky. And then he said, I'm not telling any kids to steal candy, but Um, yeah, he's, you know, obviously he's been watched more over there this season and, um, yeah, there, there is, um, again, a lot to think about with Nassim, with his future on the team. Um, he has been candid in admitting, um, the offense is not good enough. He has a good eye at the plate too. So he thinks a lot of it goes back to getting more juice in his bat. Um, he's not sure if that will come from backspin or bat speed or, um, strengthening up. Those are all things he'll figure out this off season, but, um, yeah, he knows, uh, and even set a goal before the season to steal 80 bases. Um, he thinks that that is realistic if he gets on base more, which given what we've seen in the season, stealing 49 with a, uh, on base percentage under 30%. Um, yeah, there's, there's no reason, well, I shouldn't say there's no reason, um, 80 bases a lot, but, um, it is, it is, uh, something where he is holding himself to a higher standard than this but also tying to appreciate it given given what it's uh you know meant to him.
00:11:52
Speaker 1: This season yeah if he stays healthy and can get that on base percentage and find himself down at first base a little bit more often there's no question uh or like you said 80 is a lot of stolen bases but he would seem to be the type of caliber player to pull it off i remember speaking to him at the start of the year too and he said him and Chandler Simpson were just in a competition to see who would finish with more stolen bases at the end of the season. When you're leading the league, you're probably going to win that competition. So hopefully he holds on here for the next three days, and congrats to him on setting the Nationals record. And in that game, Yohani Morales also hit a home run, his second of the series, his second two-run blast of the series. This guy has come up and made a serious impact, Spencer, and it's clear that his bout will play against big league pitching.
00:12:40
Speaker 2: Yeah, again, with Yoandi in particular, he's kind of another one who has a lot of self-awareness, right? Which again, as the media, as fans, always great to appreciate. As a player, it's one of the most important things you can have, right? Where he is confident. I would not sway that at all. But he, when we ask him after the game about what's made his season successful, he talks so much about consistency, right? And how that was something he struggled to find in the past. I followed up by asking him, you know, you hit over 20 homers in AAA, you've hit four and 40 at-bats in the big leagues. Like, how is that, is that not consistent enough? And he was like, well, obviously, you know, that's been pretty good, but you can't just like rest on your laurels and do it for one year. And even beyond that, he knows he has things he can prove, whether it's the chase rate, whether it's the contact rate, those two things in particular, if he got those to even be a little bit better, he really starts to look like, hey, is this an everyday corner infielder? And that's what he wants to be, right? I think every big leaguer wants to be an everyday player. I think Yowandi also will be working on some third base defense this winter, which should potentially help his versatility. But yeah, I'll be the first to admit that the contact rate and the chase rate kind of scared me a little bit where I said, I don't know exactly how that'll play in the big leagues. Um, he struggled against velocity and AAA, which I usually don't read into, um, because just the, the caliber of arms down there is so different. Um, but that was like another thing, obviously he, you know, they were thinking about at the very least, um, he has answered just about every question. And so if the idea is, Hey, he's going to get even better at these things that are hard to improve next year. Um, he, he looks like a, a big leaguer and, um, Yeah, when you go 420 the other way, just trying to put your bat on the ball, it looks like a big leaguer. I'll leave it at that.
00:14:44
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm excited to see what 162 might look from him next season. Like you said, work on the defense in the offseason. He could play a really big role on this team at either corner going into next season. I'll remind all of our listeners and viewers really quickly to subscribe to the District Territory podcast on YouTube or wherever you get your If you're listening on Spotify or Apple Music, we're going to be giving away an Eli Willits, Zion Bowman first later on in the offseason. You don't want to miss that. Let's jump back really quickly to Monday's pitching box score, because I forgot to mention Josiah Gray coming in in the final two innings, although the game was kind of out of hand at that point. He looked good, and it has been an encouraging return for him to the rotation. I just want to give him some flowers. What looked good, I guess, from him on Monday and Sunday it's expected that he'll continue to pitch out of the bullpen, but I would love to see him again here in this weekend against the Mets.
00:15:41
Speaker 2: Yeah. It wasn't quite up to 94, if I'm remembering correctly, like it was in his return, but he's still pitching well. He, I mean, it's just, it's candidly like a great story that he's back. And yeah, I don't, I feel like I don't have a whole lot to add here just because like the, the story itself, feels so much more, um, valuable for lack of a better word than like me spouting off as I usually do about, Oh, he throws 94. Oh, he, you know, his spin rate is this, his horizontal break is that, um, it's, it's really nice to see him back in the clubhouse. Um, seeing him chat with, uh, just DJ before DJ start the other day, um, two guys who were in that clubhouse in 24, uh, at different times, but, um, you know, who, because they've been on the team for more than two years, are some of the longest tenured players on the team, which is bizarre to think about. It's just, it's cool to see him back in the clubhouse talking to people he has either never seen before or, you know, reconnecting with those, you know, Cade, et cetera, K-Bear, who he kind of came up with. And yeah, I honestly think like heading into 2027, right, if the Nationals need potentially a bullpen arm or a leader, however you want to slice it. It's not something to discount, right? Because of what he could potentially bring to that room. And yeah, really interested to see kind of what lays ahead for him.
00:17:16
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:17:17
Speaker 1: The other thing I wanted to hit on before we wrap up today's show was following that Monday loss, I believe it was, Cole Henry was announced to be waived by the Nationals coming into the season. This was a guy that you were thinking, hey, maybe, closer late inning back end stuff. And that just wasn't the case. You acknowledge the team maybe just didn't put them in the best situations to succeed this season, but ultimately choosing to, uh, our ways here and, and move along.
00:17:44
Speaker 2: Yeah. Um, so I think Cole Henry was probably going to be designated for assignment, um, regardless, given the results this year, um, he has to be released for those who don't know, um, because he's on the injured list. And so, um, that's why the nationals had to part ways. All that being said, um, yeah, I don't think the nationals in the best position to succeed this year. Um, where he was really good in high leverage spots, uh, last season, kind of their eighth inning guy, especially in that first half. Um, yeah, you can talk about the FIP and like, I don't think I can discount that stuff. Um, but coming into this season, right? Like sure. Maybe he's not your eighth inning guy anymore. That's fine. Um, but I do think he was one of a number of people who, between getting shuttled back and forth between AAA and the major leagues, between having to throw a multi-inning role where, you know, he's never done that before. He's not doing it in AAA and he's throwing 45 pitches at a time. That didn't serve him well, something that Blake Gutierrez even admitted earlier this season. And so I think that, For someone whose stuff is so good, who needs to work in his command, but it's not, I don't think, going to kill his big league career, right? It'd be really nice to see him kind of latch on with another team because he feels like a guy who could maybe succeed in another situation. And given everything he's been through, I think he has the mentality to figure it out somewhere else. So yeah, this is one of those cases where I think we've talked a lot about the thing the Nationals have done right this year. This is maybe one area where I look at a guy who was a higher leverage reliever last year who couldn't figure it out this year. And I say some of that is volatility and some of that is probably a little bit of mismanagement.
00:19:39
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:19:40
Speaker 1: Well, we will see what the future holds for him. The Nationals, just three games left in this regular season of 2026. It's hard to believe we are already here. I think that's going to conclude it. Next episode, we'll be doing some playoff comparisons to the squads that were able to make it there. I'll just encourage everyone to keep on reading Spencer's stories and everyone's stories over the athletic. Keep watching Bat Boys Baseball and stay tuned to the Foul Territory Network. We'll see you in the next episode, everybody. See you later.
