The Washington Nationals are off to a 3-1 start, and outfielder Joey Wiemer is playing a huge role in their early success.
Wiemer made his MLB debut in 2023 for the Milwaukee Brewers, but was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in 2024. In 2025, the Reds traded him to the Kansas City Royals, and he was eventually waived and picked up by the Miami Marlins. The Marlins traded him to the San Francisco Giants, who designated him for assignment in December. The Nationals picked him up, and he reached base safely in his first 10 plate appearances of the season.
That tied an MLB record set by Carlos Delgado in 2002 for the most consecutive plate appearances reaching base safely to start a season. Wiemer’s plate appearances to start the season went as follows:
- Home run
- Walk
- Single
- Single
- Home run
- Triple
- Walk
- Single
- Single
- Single
His streak came to an end when he grounded out softly against Taijuan Walker in the fifth inning of Monday’s game. Wiemer was once the No. 2 prospect in the Brewers organization, but failed to sustain success in the big leagues. However, he had great tools, and after bouncing around, may have finally hit his stride. He has 18 career home runs and a .679 career OPS.
He leads the National League in hits right now, but it is still very early in the season. However, some of his advanced metrics indicate that he could end up having a solid season offensively. Obviously, he is not going to hit .800 all season, but he does rank near the top of the league in hard-hit rate, launch angle, sweet-spot rate and barrel rate. He still chases pitches, but his quality of contact has been good.
He is only 27 years old and could finally have a breakout season. He is a great defender with a stellar throwing arm. He had a 70-grade power tool as a prospect and has already hit two home runs this season. He has the potential to be a 20-homer bat if he can find a way to stay in the lineup. He had a .205 career batting average before this season, so he will need to show he can hit consistently if he wants an everyday role.
Regardless of how his season plays out, he can say he put together one of the best starts to a season in MLB history.
Photo: Washington Nationals’ Joey Wiemer in action during a baseball game, Monday, March 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
