"The Nationals need his bat in the lineup, but his defense at second base has been abysmal in his career outside of an outlier season in 2024. Should the Nationals choose to fully move Garcia to first base, it would set up an interesting discussion for the middle infield as to where guys like CJ Abrams, Nasim Nuñez, and Jose Tena would all slot in."
"One of the newest members of the Nationals, Abimelec Ortiz came over from the Rangers in the MacKenzie Gore deal. He has a ton of power, clubbing 25 homers last year between AA and AAA, while having a 33-homer season under his belt back in 2023 as well. From first-hand accounts, Ortiz' pop is legitimate, and he has a very good shot to break camp as the guy at first base."
"One of the incumbent options already on the 40-man roster, Andrés Chaparro is trying to shed the dreaded '4A' player label. He demolishes minor league pitching, but thus far hasn't quite gotten his footing underneath him at the big league level. Perhaps better coaching can help coax his power out of him that just has not quite yet fully revealed itself in the majors."
The Washington Nationals have lacked a reliable first baseman since Ryan Zimmerman retired, despite some solid moments from Josh Bell. Free agent interest in Rhys Hoskins did not materialize, leaving several internal options to compete for Opening Day. Luis Garcia Jr. offers offensive value but has struggled defensively at second base, prompting consideration of a permanent move to first and potential middle-infield adjustments. Abimelec Ortiz arrives from the Rangers with significant power and a strong chance to win the job. Andrés Chaparro has dominated the minors but has not yet translated that success consistently to the majors. Additional sleepers include Warming Bernabel, Matt Mervis, and Yohandy Morales.
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