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Washington Nationals starting pitcher Josiah Gray Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Three pleasant surprises from the Nationals' first two months

By Ben Kahn | Last updated 5/22/23

We're almost two months into the regular season and the Washington Nationals find themselves where most pundits expect them to be for the foreseeable future: last place in the NL East.

Their 20-27 record, however, belies the quality of baseball they've played recently—after starting the year 1-6, they've posted a respectable 19-21 record in their last 40 games and have won five of their last nine series.

Here are three Nats who have exceeded expectations thus far.

Josiah Gray - Starting Pitcher

The crown jewel from the 2021 blockbuster trade that sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Dodgers, Josiah Gray has had a tumultuous journey from prized prospect to franchise cornerstone—but his exquisite pitching so far this season has him looking every bit like a future ace.

Through 10 starts, Gray is 4-5 with a 2.65 ERA (13th in the MLB)—remove his first start of the season, where he allowed five earned runs in five innings against the Braves—and Gray's ERA would drop to 2.05.

Since Opening Day, Gray has yet to pitch fewer than five innings or allow more than three runs and has relied on his mid-90s fastball and his "Wrong Way" slider and cutter to baffle opponents.

To go with Josiah Gray's Wrong Way cutters. pic.twitter.com/CqzVqN5s48
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 21, 2023

As painful as it was for Nats fans to part ways with Scherzer and Turner, they can take solace in knowing that Gray is the real deal.

Lane Thomas - Outfield

Acquired by the Nationals from St. Louis in exchange for an aging Jon Lester during the team's 2021 fire sale, Lane Thomas arrived in D.C. with little to no fanfare. In 84 total games peppered across three seasons with the Cardinals, Thomas had just eight extra-base hits and 15 RBI while striking out 38 times.

Maybe it was the change of scenery, or maybe the pressure was off once he began playing for a team fully in rebuild mode -- whatever the reason, Thomas looked like a new player when he joined the Nationals. After the trade, Thomas slashed .270/.364/.489 with 14 doubles, 33 runs scored and 27 RBI in just 45 games.

Last September, Thomas was bumped up to the leadoff spot and, despite his proclivity to go down swinging (266 strikeouts in 320 career games), appears comfortable in the new role.

In 45 games this season, Thomas is hitting .290 with 14 extra-base hits. He's still striking out too much (50 K's in 176 official at-bats), but he's getting on base (.344 on-base percentage), his 23 RBI are tied for the team lead and he's forcing the Nationals' front office to consider keeping him around beyond this season.

Not bad for a guy who was essentially acquired for a bucket of balls.

Jeimer Candelario - Third Base

After spending the last six seasons in Detroit, Jeimer Candelario agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal with the Nats to serve as a stopgap.

While he likely won't be a mainstay in Washington, Candelario has been a revelation at the hot corner this season, ranking No. 1 defensively among all MLB third basemen and his 1.6 WAR is the best among Nats position players.

Though he struggled at the plate to begin the year, he's been red-hot over the last 10 days -- in nine games, Candelario has compiled 17 hits (eight of which went for extra bases), scored seven runs and raised his batting average by 58 points (up to .269) in the process.

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