Nationals lead the majors in runs by turning their athleticism into a strength

James Wood’s grand slam in Tuesday’s Nationals win stood out for its absurdity. One of baseball’s top power hitters hit his first grand slam without sending the ball out of the park.

Wood’s speed, an ability rare for someone with his 6-foot-6 frame, illustrates the Nationals’ plan to use athleticism as their strength. Their focus on baserunning has fueled their potent offense.​

Entering Thursday, the Nationals had scored the most runs in baseball (279) and were first in run scoring percentage, the percentage of times a baserunner scores. They also led the majors in total baserunning value (6), according to Baseball Savant. Last year, the team ranked 15th in baserunning value.

Going back to spring training, the team stressed the importance of fine-tuning its running game. First-year first base coach Corey Ray, the No. 5 pick in the 2016 MLB draft by the Brewers, has been in charge of working with the runners.

Efficiency and attention to detail were the focuses of Ray’s teaching during spring training, and the Nationals are reaping the benefits.

​“Our team is just so athletic at this point, where we talk about letting our athleticism take over,” manager Blake Butera said Sunday. “We need to be an aggressive team on the bases because we run pretty well.”

Butera said he’s noticed the pressure it puts on the opposing pitcher when many of their players reach first base because of how proficient the team is at stealing bases — entering Thursday, the Nationals’ 48 stolen bases were tied for the fourth best in the league.

The number of pickoffs and pitchouts from opposing pitchers is helping the Nationals’ hitters because the consternation caused by the runner on first leads to more mistakes in the strike zone.

Turning their athleticism into a strength has been a concerted effort by the players and the coaching staff.

“[Ray] takes his job very seriously, which is nice for us as baserunners,” center fielder Jacob Young said. “Him having a lot of information, and being able to portray [it] to you in an easy manner, definitely makes it nice.”

Distilling the copious amounts of film and data he absorbs into digestible bites for the players is an important component of Ray’s job.

Before every series, he studies each pitcher on the opposing team to get a grasp on his tendencies. Players laud Ray for his fastidious nature, crediting him for giving them all the information they need so their instincts and physical aptitude can take over.

There’s a cat-and-mouse game on the bases between pitchers and runners. With Nasim Nuñez tied for first in the majors in baserunning value (4) and CJ Abrams always a threat, Ray has helped those two understand how to be more selective and opportunistic when they steal to throw pitchers off their rhythm.

“Gaining an advantage on the bases is a slept-on attribute,” Nuñez said. “But, if you know how to use it precisely and you’re smart with it, it’s like hitting a double or a triple.”

Even with the team’s success, Ray sees opportunities for improvement. After Thursday’s loss, the Nationals have been caught stealing 15 times and they’re tied for the most outs on the bases in the majors.

Ray views those moments when a player hesitates or gets caught as teaching opportunities. Ray having the players’ trust creates room for honest dialogues that help the player and coach understand each other.

“Whenever I see a window and a guy doesn’t go, just having a conversation with him, ‘Hey, what did you see, what’d you feel?’” Ray said. “We’ve got to stay with them. We can’t chastise them when they do something wrong. We got to teach them how to do it better and hope that they get some consistency and do it better.”

One area of baserunning that Ray is unrelenting in hammering home is the importance of secondary time and route efficiency. Wood said Ray has a database that tracks players’ times.

For the Nationals, with a roster filled with youth and athleticism, adding any value they can is a significant factor in why they boast one of the league’s best offenses.

“Can we be as efficient as possible rounding the bases so that we can go first to third and score second to home, and can we be on time in our secondary, so that we put ourselves in a position to react better?” Ray said. “The fact that we’re doing that at a high level makes me prouder, and I’m happier about that than the actual stolen bases.”

The emphasis on baserunning played a role in the Nationals’ 13-3 win Saturday against the Orioles.

Baltimore’s three-run fourth inning had cut the Nationals’ lead to 4-3. Wood led off the inning with a walk. Curtis Mead immediately popped up to record the first out, and Wood stayed on first base.

​But, in the next at-bat, Brady House jumped on a fastball slightly out of the zone that got past Orioles third baseman Coby Mayo. Left fielder Taylor Ward thought the ball would bounce off the wall, but it kept rolling and he had to chase it down, allowing Wood, who rounded second hard, to score from first and flip the momentum back in the Nationals’ favor.

Sporting a proficient offense is necessary for the Nationals because they’re lacking in run prevention. Entering Thursday, they had allowed the most runs in the majors. Monday’s 16-7 extra-innings loss was a showcase for the offense and showed the limitations of the pitching staff.

But after 51 games the Nationals have proven their offense is legit. Their well-rounded, versatile offense is why this team has outperformed expectations.

“It’s a testament to the players,” Ray said. “It all goes to them. They want to learn. They want to be better and soak in every [piece of] information that I give them.”