Washington Nationals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Mitchell Parker looked impressive on the mound during Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Parker went 6 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing seven hits and striking out five batters in the win. The 25-year-old was excellent on the mound at home last year, but Parker got crushed whenever he was on the road. The hope is that Parker can take a step forward this season. His next start is against the Arizona Diamondbacks at home next weekend. Parker could be worth a look as a streaming option given he posted a 2.65 ERA at home in 2024.

Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. is not in the starting lineup on Saturday as the Washington Nationals will face Philadelphia Phillies left-handed pitcher Ranger Suarez. Instead, Amed Rosario will get the starting nod at the keystone. Garcia was in the starting lineup on Opening Day when the Nationals faced a right-handed pitcher. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his deployment in the starting lineup, as he took a seat against left-handed pitchers last season as well. In 2024, Garcia appeared in a career-high 140 contests and posted a .282/.318/.444 slash line with 25 doubles and 18 home runs. Last summer, Garcia posted a modest .235/.300/.235 slash line against southpaws. Garcia will likely return to the starting nine on Sunday when the Phillies send Aaron Nola to the mound.

The Texas Rangers have optioned left-handed pitcher Patrick Corbin to Triple-A Round Rock. The Rangers signed Corbin to a one-year contract earlier in March. However, the team will opt for Corbin to begin his 2025 campaign in the minor leagues. This transaction will likely allow Corbin to increase his workload before returning to the big leagues. Fantasy managers in deeper formats should monitor his progression in Triple-A as he will likely make a few starts before being in contention to return to the majors. Last season, the southpaw logged 174 2/3 innings with Washington and held a high 5.62 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He tallied just 139 punchouts and held a modest 7.1 percent walk rate. If Corbin were to progress well at Triple-A, he could eventually serve as a depth option in the rotation if Jack Leiter or Kumar Rocker were to struggle.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore was fantastic on the mound during Thursday's season opener against the Philadelphia Phillies. Gore recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts over six shutout innings in a no-decision. Gore only allowed one hit during his time on the mound as he looked nearly flawless out there. Sadly for Gore, the Nats bullpen was unable to hold the lead for him. Despite that, Gore puts his name in the history books with his franchise-record 13 punchouts. The 26-year-old will certainly be a popular waiver wire pickup after that performance. He'll look to keep it going next week against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews is starting in right field and batting eighth in the lineup on Opening Day on Thursday at Nationals Park against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies and right-hander Zack Wheeler. This isn't exactly what Crew's fantasy managers wanted to see on Day 1 of the regular season, especially considering the 23-year-old spent most of his time serving as the team's leadoff hitter during his MLB debut in 2024. For now, shortstop CJ Abrams will open up as the club's leadoff man against a right-handed pitcher, but we should expect to see Crews at the top of the order against lefties at least. Crews, the second overall pick last year out of LSU, hit just .218 (26-for-119) with three homers, eight RBI and 12 stolen bases in his first 31 MLB games in 2024. Heading into his first full season, Crews should primarily be a speed asset in fantasy while contributing steadily everywhere else as an everyday player.