The Washington Nationals lead the league in errors, and have 7 more than the next closest team. After the game, it was clear that Blake Butera had finally lost his patience with all the mistakes. He vowed to change the way the Nats prepare before games and added that you cannot win many games when you lead the league in errors.
I do not think this is a problem that comes from a lack of effort. Whenever I go to games, I see the Nats doing infield work and working on their craft. It seems like a case where the Nats need to work smarter rather than harder. They may need to do more individualized work rather than just hitting ground balls to guys.
I saw the Nats do individualized work with Luis Garcia Jr. over at first base, and we have seen him improve quite a bit over there. It may be time for more hands on work for guys like Brady House and CJ Abrams. House in particular is someone they should be doing more work with.
Last season, House looked like a really promising defender at the hot corner. He posted 2 outs above average, and was making all sorts of nice plays at third. However, it has been a different story this season, with the 22 year old posting -2 OAA and having six errors. He has been a flat out liability at the hot corner.
We know CJ Abrams has defensive limitations, so it is important to have a third baseman with quality defense. Speaking of Abrams, I do not think he is as bad as the -5 OAA suggests. He made a rough error yesterday, where he just was not concentrating, but overall I think his defense has been better despite the numbers not necessarily saying that. However, I still think second base is a better fit for Abrams than shortstop long term.
While the Nats lead the league in errors by 7, the underlying metrics don’t think they are the worst defensive team in baseball. OAA paints a slightly brighter picture, with the Nats being 25th in that number. Shockingly, a big reason why they are not lower is that they are the sixth best team when it comes to catcher framing.
You can blame the coaching staff for some of the errors and mental mistakes, but you also have to credit Bobby Wilson for improving the receiving chops of Nats catchers, especially Keibert Ruiz. While Ruiz has given the Nats nothing offensively, he has been an above average defensive catcher, with 1 fielding run value. This is following seasons where Ruiz had -10,-7 and -22 FRV.
Drew Millas has also been a good framer, but he has given all that value back by his poor blocking skills. His four passed balls are second in baseball, despite only playing half the games. The second Harry Ford shows any life, he should be in the big leagues.
Millas’ blocking problems and the Nats error prone nature in the field explains why they have allowed the most unearned runs in baseball. This pitching staff is already not too great, but they are not getting any help from the defense. The outfield defense has been mostly rock solid, with improvements from James Wood and Daylen Lile, but the infield has been a major issue for this team.
Hopefully some adjustments in preparation can help this team clean up their act. This group is not talented enough to make these kinds of mistakes. The margin for error with this group is small, especially with the offense cooling off. That makes these mistakes even more noticeable.
If these tweaks in preparation do not work, it could be time for personnel changes. Third base feels like the most obvious spot to make a move if Brady House does not heat up on both sides of the ball. I would give him until Memorial Day to figure things out, but if he keeps struggling and Yohandy Morales keeps hitting, things could get awkward quickly.
With the names on the roster, I do not think anyone was expecting an above average defense. However, as Blake Butera said, you cannot win many games when you lead the league in errors. The Nats need to clean up their act, and fast. Their mild mannered manager is losing his patience with this defense, and so are the fans.
