Nationals' First Base Woes: A Growing Concern

It's April 2nd.

This is Washington Nationals News today.

Your AI-powered team coverage.

Nationals sitting at three wins and three losses after a tough home-opener loss, but

that's still a solid start to the season.

General manager Paul Taboni decided against grabbing a veteran first baseman in the off-season,

opting instead to shift Luis Garcia Jr. from 2nd.

To first, and platoon him with guys like Andre Shapiro and Curtis Meade, the move hasn't

panned out defensively so far.

Garcia, who never played first-space before last year, is already posting negative outs

above average, especially struggling with routine scoops that shipped in momentum in recent

games.

Shapiro looked rough too and got sent down.

Fans and analysts are frustrated because the Nats used to have reliable scoop artists

like Nathaniel Low, Joey Gallo, and Dominic Smith as stopgaps.

Now, with team-fielding run value near the bottom and nine errors in six games, first-space

woes are amplifying other infield issues.

Missed chances sting.

Munataka Murakami landed a two-year, $34 million deal with the White Sox, and has three

homers already while Reese.

Hoskins signed a minor league pack with Cleveland, and is off to a hot star as a true first baseman.

Early days mean room to grow, but this feels like an avoidable headache for a young squad

needing a steady glove at first to bail out throws from guys.

Like CJ Abrams.

Taboni's big picture vision has promised, so let's see if Garcia adjusts quick.