The Washington Nationals have a new superstar, and his name is Joey Wiemer. Okay, that might be a bit much, but the outfielder has made quite the first impression for Nats fans. In his 8 plate appearances this season, Joey Wiemer has not gotten out. He is a different kind of locked in right now, and we love to see it.
This hot start made me want to learn more about Wiemer. I want to know
about where he came from and how he got to the Nats. For the basics, Joey Wiemer is from a small town in Ohio called Sylvania that shares a border with Michigan. The Ohio kid went to the University of Cincinnati, where he obviously starred on the baseball team.
The Brewers took him in the 4th round of the 2020 draft, and he actually became a pretty big deal. By the time Wiemer debuted in 2023, he was a top 100 prospect and considered one of the toolsiest players in the minors. Wiemer had light tower power, elite speed for a 6’4 225 pounder, good fielding ability and an absolute cannon for an arm. The only question was his ability to hit.
That one question mark is why Wiemer has been a part of six organizations since 2024. Heading into this season, Wiemer was a .205 career hitter in almost 500 MLB at bats. You can have all the tools in the world, but it does not matter if you cannot hit. That looked like it would be Joey Wiemer’s destiny.
However, something curious has happened, and the signs of it began last season in the Marlins organization. With the Royals AAA team, Wiemer was awful, hitting .182 in 253 at bats. When he went to the Marlins something seemed to click though. In 33 AAA at bats for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Wiemer hit .364 with a 1.185 OPS. He also only struck out 8 times and had 7 walks.
That led to a big league call up, where Wiemer had some success. He hit .236 with a .715 OPS. This does not sound great, but with Wiemer’s speed and defense, those numbers are solid. However, he struck out 37% of the time and only walked 3% of his AB’s. That led to the Marlins letting him go.
He got DFA’d this offseason, where he got picked up by the Giants. Before ever playing a game for them, he was DFA’d again and landed in DC. At the time of the claim, this move did not make a ton of sense. The Nats already had a ton of outfielders who could fill that 4th outfield spot. What use did they have for Wiemer? If only we knew what we knew now.
Wiemer actually really struggled to begin the spring, but picked things up towards the end of Grapefruit League play. He actually hit a walk-off homer in the Nats last game in Florida.
Wiemer made the team, and his role was to play against left handed pitching. Even though he has not had a ton of overall offensive success in the MLB, Wiemer was always able to hit lefties. In 2023, he had an .815 OPS against southpaws and last year, he posted a .794 OPS against lefties.
That is why Wiemer found himself hitting fifth on Opening Day, despite barely making the roster. To say he is making the most of his opportunity would be a gross understatement. He is sprinting with it like Usain Bolt in 2008. In Wiemer’s first at bat, he went down to get a Matthew Boyd changeup and powered it through a heavy Chicago wind to get the Nats on the board.
Wiemer had two more hits and a walk on Opening Day. He powered the Nats to a 10-4 Opening Day win and put the fanbase on notice. Wiemer locked himself into a lineup spot every time a lefty was on the mound.
With the right handed Cade Horton pitching in game two of the season, Wiemermania was put on hold, but only temporarily. Shota Imanaga was on the mound yesterday, which meant Wiemer was back. He greeted Shota in the same way he welcomed Boyd, digging out an offspeed pitch and depositing it in the left field bleachers.
However, the big blonde outfielder was far from done. He was willing and eager to make history. In his next at bat, Wiemer led off the third inning with a triple. While the Nats were unable to score him, he did his job.
This run by Wiemer is not just running into balls though. He had a great at bat in the sixth where he worked a walk. Plate discipline has not been part of Wiemer’s game in his career, but right now, he is so locked in that he is seeing everything so well.
The Nats new star had one more at bat where he absolutely ripped a single into left. That meant he was now 6/6 with two walks to start the season. Getting on base 8 times in a row is some crazy stuff, but Joey Wiemer is crazy hot right now. We were so close to seeing Wiemer get a shot to hit a double for the cycle, but Luis Garcia Jr. got thrown out to end the top of the ninth.
He did not get his cycle, but Wiemer is a special kind of locked in right now. Will this last, absolutely not, but Wiemer has given the Nats a spark. The plan has been to play Wiemer against lefties, but I think you have to ride the hot hand right now. He is too hot to keep out of the lineup.
While he will obviously cool off, I hope Wiemer sustains enough of this to be a real piece for the Nats. He has all the physical gifts, but has not been able to hit enough to stick around in one spot. This hot start will give him some runway and hopefully the 27 year old can take it.
With his tools, Wiemer can be at least a lefty mashing 4th outfielder. You never know though, maybe something has clicked for the big slugger. His swing has always been long and a bit crazy. There is a chance he finally found something that works for him.
Regardless, this is an incredible story and it is why Paul Toboni is making all these bets on the waiver wire. Most will not work out, but we may have struck gold with Joey Wiemer. At the very least, Wiemer has provided the Nats with a spark and his start to the season will be something fans talk about for a long time.
