As we enter the spring, just about everyone on the Washington Nationals roster has a lot to prove. This team is very short on proven commodities. However, there are three players fans should be paying close attention to. Cade Cavalli, Dylan Crews and Luis Perales have a ton to prove in 2025, and I will be watching them closely this spring.
Can Cavalli Put it Together:
Cade Cavalli is the player I am most fascinated by. After the MacKenzie Gore trade, he seems like the de facto ace. He had a bumpy road back from Tommy John Surgery, but showed flashes of elite potential last season. In his 10 MLB starts, Cavalli posted a respectable 4.25 ERA.
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I think he can get much better. His stuff is front of the rotation caliber and he throws plenty of strikes. However, his execution and command are not great. With the new pitching development team and a fully healthy offseason, Cavalli could improve that though. As the season progressed in 2025, he made some adjustments that helped him become an effective MLB pitcher.
There is room for a lot more though. His fastball averages 97 MPH and he pairs it with an awesome power curveball. The curve averaged 86 MPH and generated whiffs at a 40% clip. He used the curve over 30% of the time, which makes the high whiff number even more impressive.
Despite being in the 72nd percentile for whiffs, Cavalli only struck out 18.3% of hitters. That ranked in the 18th percentile. There is no way a pitcher with Cavalli’s stuff should be striking out under 20% of hitters. This spring, fans should be watching Cavalli’s execution with two strikes. If new pitching coach Simon Mathews can improve Cavalli’s ability to put hitters away, he will have a big season.
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If I had to guess, Cade Cavalli will be the Nats Opening Day starter. The fact a pitcher with 11 MLB outings is the Nats Opening Day starter says a lot about the state of the rotation. However, Cavalli has a chance to be great, he is just unproven.
Can Dylan Crews Live Up to the Hype:
Coming out of LSU, Dylan Crews was one of the most hyped up college baseball players in the last decade. Along with his teammate Paul Skenes, Crews helped the LSU Tigers win the National Championship. Since leaving LSU, Skenes and Crews have been on very different paths.
While Skenes was winning his first Cy Young award in 2025, Crews was struggling to find his footing. Crews hit just .208 with a .632 OPS last year. There were long stretches where the former Golden Spikes winner looked lost at the plate.
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Coming out of college, Crews was supposed to be a can’t miss prospect. Skenes and Wyatt Langford may have had more upside, but Crews was the one that had no chance of being a bust. So far, that has not been the case. Crews, who is one of the most decorated college baseball players ever, has not been the same player in the MLB.
Even in the minors, Crews did not dominate the way he was expected to. He was good, but never elite. Crews did not torch the minor leagues the way Wyatt Langford did. In the MLB, he got exposed even more. His suboptimal angles have been a problem. Crews is hitting the ball on the ground too much and is not tapping into his power.
In 2025, Crews was also whiffing way too much. His issues against spin have been present for a while, but he was even whiffing against fastballs. Crews was an elite fastball hitter, even in his up and down MLB stint in 2024. That was not the case last year.
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While Crews’ season was interrupted by injury, his performance was still concerning. He needs to get back to crushing fastballs. Hopefully the new coaching staff can help Crews rebuild his confidence. This is the first time Crews has ever failed, so I am curious to see how he bounces back. Spring Training will be our first chance to see what kind of adjustments Crews has made.
Can Luis Perales Throw Enough Strikes:
The prospect I am most curious about this spring is Luis Perales, who the Nats acquired from the Red Sox this offseason. Paul Toboni swung a rare prospect for prospect trade with his old club back in December. He sent the high floor Jake Bennett to the Red Sox for Perales, who is riskier but comes with a much higher ceiling.
Perales blew out his elbow in the middle of his breakout 2024 season. He had to undergo Tommy John Surgery, missing the rest of 2024 and most of 2025. Perales came back at the end of 2025, where he made a few appearances in the minors.
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However, most of his action came in the Arizona Fall League. The results were interesting. His velocity was actually better than ever, sitting at nearly 99 MPH. Perales had a hard time finding the strike zone though. In 11.1 innings, he struck out 19 batters but walked 11.
It is not uncommon for pitchers coming back from TJ to struggle with command at first. They have not pitched in competitive games for over a year, so there is some rust. These pitchers are also adjusting to their new elbow as well. As pitchers get further removed from surgery, the command usually improves.
Perales showed much improved command in his breakout 2024 season, but had some control questions before then. Command will always be a question mark for the flamethrower, but as long as he is around the strike zone, the stuff will play.
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I will be watching Perales very closely to see what that control looks like. If it is back to those 2024 levels, he can be a front of the rotation starter. However, he has the chance to be a nasty reliever. His injury history, smaller build and control point to a bullpen role, but he also has a chance to start.
It will be interesting to see what the Nats do with him. If they move him to the bullpen, he could be in the big leagues very soon. However, if they want to continue developing him as a starter, things will take longer. Either way, Perales should start next season at Triple-A. If Toboni wants to let him rip in the bullpen, Luis Perales could be the Nats closer by the end of the season.
There are more players we could highlight, but these are the three that stand out to me. All three have so much to prove this year, but also have great upside. 2026 will be a year where these young players will have to prove themselves. With Paul Toboni improving the farm system, these guys could be replaced if they do not perform.
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