Nationals Star Catcher Showing True Potential With Electrifying Hot Streak

The Washington Nationals entered the season with a lineup full of talented, promising players with the potential to elevate the team's offense toward the top half of the league.

So far this season, young stars like shortstop CJ Abrams and outfielder James Wood have lived up to the hype, and offseason acquisition Nathaniel Lowe has provided some extra thump from his first base position.

Young outfielder Dylan Crews and veteran designated hitter Josh Bell have gotten off to very disappointing starts, but another player has stepped up to compensate for that in catcher Keibert Ruiz.

Ruiz, a switch-hitting 26-year-old backstop, seems to have finally taken the offensive leap forward that the team has envisioned since he was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Like Wood and Abrams, Ruiz was acquired when the Nationals tore down their 2019 World Series championship roster at the start of this decade to build around a new, young core.

While the two former stars made their way to Washington from the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto trade, Ruiz was one of the headliners of the return for the shocking trade deadline deal that sent both Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to Los Angeles.

The former top prospect signed an eight-year deal with two club options that could tie him to the Nationals through 2032, but until this point, he had not shown a whole lot.

A season ago, he produced a slash line of .229/.260/.359 and was worth -0.3 fWAR, neither getting on base nor driving the ball nearly enough to be a positive contributor.

But Washington maintained its faith in his potential through the offseason and spring training, and the team is being rewarded for its confidence now.

Ruiz is slashing .333/.395.538 with a wRC+ of 164, putting him among the elite performers of the 2025 season so far, and not just among catchers.

He trails only Logan O'Hoppe of the Los Angeles Angels and Will Smith of the Dodgers in wRC+ by a catcher, and his strikeout rate of just 9.3% is by far the best mark among backstops.

Among all National League hitters, Ruiz sits 14th in wRC+, ahead of household names like Juan Soto, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, none of whom are off to slow starts at all.

Ruiz just helped the Nationals take two of three from his old team, and he went 4-for-11 with three RBI against the Dodgers in doing so.

Washington has taken four of its last five after a 1-6 start, giving Ruiz and the rest of this talented young lineup a chance to put the team back on the map.