Washington Nationals: lineup and rotation patterns
What 2023–2025 Retrosheet data tells us about how the Washington Nationals set their lineups and used their pitchers.
A record of past seasons, not a forecast: 2027 projections will be added once rosters take shape. About these team pages.
Our read on the Washington Nationals
Washington had the most left-handed lineup in baseball in 2025: 4.85 left-handed hitters per game against right-handed starters, the most of any club, and 3.56 against left-handers, second most. Even so, some players were clearly matched to the opposing starter: Luis Garcia started 93% of games against right-handers and 42% against left-handers, and switch-hitter Josh Bell 92% against 50%. Bell was also the main DH (97 starts).
C. J. Abrams led off 107 times. Riley Adams led the catchers with 73 starts, so no catcher started half the games; he started 65% of games against left-handed starters and 38% against right-handers. Nine pitchers started for the Nationals; only St. Louis (eight) used fewer: Jake Irvin made 33 starts, and MacKenzie Gore and Mitchell Parker 30 each. Of the starts that followed an earlier start by the same pitcher that season, 39% came on four days of rest or fewer, fourth highest in the league.
Where the Washington Nationals ranked in 2025
| Washington Nationals | Avg | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 66 | 81.0 | 28 |
| Different batting orders | 134 | 135.9 | T-18 |
| Same order as previous game | 8.1% | 4.8% | T-6 |
| Most uses of one order | 5 | 4.8 | T-8 |
| Same leadoff as previous game | 85% | 75% | 10 |
| Players in the lineup | 22 | 24.4 | T-22 |
| Games vs LHP | 48 | 42.6 | T-2 |
| Lefty hitters vs RHP | 4.9 | 3.6 | 1 |
| Lefty hitters vs LHP | 3.6 | 2.0 | 2 |
| Starting pitchers | 9 | 13.2 | T-26 |
| Top-five starters' share | 80% | 76% | 8 |
| Starts on 4 days' rest or less* | 39% | 31% | 4 |
| Starts after 10+ days* | 2% | 5% | T-27 |
| Primary catcher's starts | 45% | 58% | 23 |
| Players at DH | 14 | 10.7 | T-7 |
| Top DH's share | 60% | 51% | 10 |
Three seasons at a glance
| Season | W–L | Games vs RHP / LHP starters | Different batting orders | Different players in the starting lineup | Starting pitchers used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 71–91 | 107 / 55 | 137 | 22 | 8 |
| 2024 | 71–91 | 114 / 48 | 142 | 26 | 9 |
| 2025 | 66–96 | 114 / 48 | 134 | 22 | 9 |
Who played where, 2023–2025
| Position | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Keibert Ruiz (116) | Keibert Ruiz (109) | Riley Adams (73) |
| 1B | Dominic Smith (140) | Joey Gallo (54) | Nathaniel Lowe (113) |
| 2B | Luis Garcia (112) | Luis Garcia (122) | Luis Garcia (123) |
| 3B | Jeimer Candelario (97) | Trey Lipscomb (53) | Brady House (70) |
| SS | C. J. Abrams (148) | C. J. Abrams (135) | C. J. Abrams (141) |
| LF | Stone Garrett (49) | James Wood (79) | James Wood (123) |
| CF | Alex Call (77) | Jacob Young (142) | Jacob Young (105) |
| RF | Lane Thomas (148) | Lane Thomas (74) | Dylan Crews (68) |
| DH | Joey Meneses (131) | Jesse Winker (29) | Josh Bell (97) |
Month by month in 2025
| Month | Games | W–L | Games vs LHP | Different batting orders | Starting pitchers used | First start of the season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March/April | 31 | 13–18 | 9 | 28 | 6 | – |
| May | 27 | 15–12 | 5 | 20 | 6 | Daylen Lile, Robert Hassell |
| June | 26 | 7–19 | 8 | 19 | 5 | Andres Chaparro, Brady House, Drew Millas |
| July | 24 | 9–15 | 6 | 18 | 7 | none |
| August | 28 | 9–19 | 12 | 28 | 5 | none |
| September | 26 | 13–13 | 8 | 26 | 6 | C. J. Stubbs, Jorge Alfaro |
Batting order and positions in 2025
Most starts by batting slot: 1. C. J. Abrams (107); 2. James Wood (93); 3. Luis Garcia (40); 4. Nathaniel Lowe (56); 5. Luis Garcia (36); 6. Josh Bell (28); 7. Daylen Lile (38); 8. Jose Tena (27); 9. Jacob Young (92).
| Position | Next most starts (leader: see above) | Players who started there | Starter changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Keibert Ruiz (64) | 5 | 52% |
| 1B | Josh Bell (32) | 5 | 23% |
| 2B | Amed Rosario (13) | 5 | 41% |
| 3B | Jose Tena (39) | 5 | 40% |
| SS | Nasim Nunez (14) | 3 | 12% |
| LF | Daylen Lile (21) | 4 | 37% |
| CF | Robert Hassell (42) | 4 | 39% |
| RF | Daylen Lile (52) | 4 | 34% |
| DH | James Wood (33) | 14 | 51% |
Against left- and right-handed starters
| Opposing starter | Left-handed | Right-handed | Switch-hitters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right-handed | 4.9 | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| Left-handed | 3.6 | 4.3 | 1.1 |
| Player | Bats | Start rate vs RHP (starts) | Start rate vs LHP (starts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luis Garcia | left-handed | 93% (106) | 42% (20) |
| Josh Bell | switch-hitting | 92% (105) | 50% (24) |
| Riley Adams | right-handed | 38% (43) | 65% (31) |
| Jose Tena | left-handed | 35% (40) | 8% (4) |
| Alex Call | right-handed | 25% (29) | 52% (25) |
| Keibert Ruiz | switch-hitting | 47% (54) | 21% (10) |
Gaps may reflect timing, not a platoon (guide).
Rotation and rest in 2025
| Pitcher | Throws | Starts | First start | Last start | Median days of rest | Starts on 4 days or fewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Irvin | RHP | 33 | March 29, 2025 | Sept. 27, 2025 | 5 | 13 |
| MacKenzie Gore | LHP | 30 | March 27, 2025 | Sept. 22, 2025 | 4.5 | 14 |
| Mitchell Parker | LHP | 30 | March 30, 2025 | Sept. 15, 2025 | 5 | 10 |
| Brad Lord | RHP | 19 | April 8, 2025 | Sept. 28, 2025 | 5 | 6 |
| Trevor Williams | RHP | 17 | April 1, 2025 | July 2, 2025 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Mike Soroka | RHP | 16 | March 31, 2025 | July 29, 2025 | 5 | 4 |
| Cade Cavalli | RHP | 10 | Aug. 6, 2025 | Sept. 26, 2025 | 5 | 3 |
| Andrew Alvarez | LHP | 5 | Sept. 1, 2025 | Sept. 24, 2025 | 5 | 1 |
| Rest before start | Washington Nationals | League average |
|---|---|---|
| 4 days or fewer | 39% | 31% |
| 5 days | 49% | 49% |
| 6 to 10 days | 10% | 15% |
| More than 10 days | 2% | 5% |
Catcher and DH in 2025
| Games | Team-games | Primary catcher started | League average |
|---|---|---|---|
| All games | 162 | 45% | 58% |
| Day game after a night game | 41 | 39% | 44% |
| All other games | 121 | 47% | – |
| Player | DH starts | Share of DH starts |
|---|---|---|
| Josh Bell | 97 | 60% |
| James Wood | 33 | 20% |
| Daylen Lile | 15 | 9% |
Most common lineups in 2025
The most common exact batting order was used 5 times, more than the club average of 4.8.
Lineup 1 (5 times, last on May 17, 2025): 1. C. J. Abrams SS, 2. James Wood LF, 3. Nathaniel Lowe 1B, 4. Keibert Ruiz C, 5. Luis Garcia 2B, 6. Josh Bell DH, 7. Dylan Crews RF, 8. Jose Tena 3B, 9. Jacob Young CF.
Lineup 2 (4 times, last on May 29, 2025): 1. C. J. Abrams SS, 2. James Wood LF, 3. Nathaniel Lowe 1B, 4. Keibert Ruiz C, 5. Luis Garcia 2B, 6. Josh Bell DH, 7. Robert Hassell CF, 8. Jose Tena 3B, 9. Daylen Lile RF.
Lineup 3 (4 times, last on June 21, 2025): 1. C. J. Abrams SS, 2. James Wood LF, 3. Luis Garcia 2B, 4. Nathaniel Lowe 1B, 5. Brady House 3B, 6. Josh Bell DH, 7. Daylen Lile RF, 8. Keibert Ruiz C, 9. Jacob Young CF.
Top nine vs RHP (9/114): Brady House, C. J. Abrams, Daylen Lile, Jacob Young, James Wood, Josh Bell, Luis Garcia, Nathaniel Lowe, Riley Adams.
Top nine vs LHP (2/48): Andres Chaparro, Brady House, C. J. Abrams, Daylen Lile, Dylan Crews, Jacob Young, James Wood, Paul DeJong, Riley Adams.
Our own calculations from Retrosheet game logs, regular seasons only: notes, methodology.