Washington Nationals Predicted To Have Slugging Former Top Prospect Make Roster

There was a lot of excitement surrounding Washington Nationals outfielder Stone Garrett when he burst onto the scene in 2023 with the team.

Intrigue started to pick up in 2022 when he made his Major League debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He showed off some impressive power, hitting four home runs with eight doubles in only 76 at-bats.

Garrett had a slash line of .276/.309/.539 but it wasn’t enough for him to stick with the organization.

Granted free agency, he landed with the Nationals and made the most of the opportunity given to him.

He received regular playing time, appearing in 89 games and receiving 271 plate appearances. His outlook was great, as he was producing enough to warrant more and more playing time from manager Dave Martinez.

Garrett had a .269/.343/.457 slash line, hitting nine home runs with 17 doubles and 40 RBI. His strikeout rate was high, but when he was making contact, he was hitting the ball incredibly hard with an average exit velocity of 91.1 mph and 48.7% hard hit rate.

Unfortunately, his momentum came to a screeching halt when he suffered a fractured left fibula while attempting to make a catch against the right field wall against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

That led to a lengthy rehab and recovery, but he was able to make his return near the end of the 2024 campaign.

Garrett was in the lineup on Sept. 27 against the Philadelphia Phillies and picked up right where he left off, launching a two-run home run off Ranger Suarez to help Washington win 9-1.

It was a reminder of what he could bring to the team with some serious power, the perfect fourth outfielder.

That is the role Jessica Camerato of MLB.com is predicting that he will win in spring training. The MLB writer made predictions for how the Nationals Opening Day roster would look and the slugging outfielder earned one of the bench spots.

“Garrett returned from a year-plus injury at the end of last season, and he will vie for the fourth outfielder spot while also being able to DH,” Camerato wrote.

It would be an incredible story should be perform at a high enough level to earn a spot on the team’s bench Opening Day. Fans will certainly be rooting for him after the lengthy rehab he had to go through right when his career was taking off.

Garrett will not be handed the spot, as he will face competition from several other hopefuls such as Alex Call and Robert Hassell III.

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