It’s probably fair to say the Nationals have been a pleasant surprise in 2026, with a 23-25 record after overhauling virtually their entire infrastructure over the offseason. They’re young on the field, led by offensive standouts James Wood and CJ Abrams, and off of it. President of baseball operations Paul Toboni is 35, and first-time manager Blake Butera is 33.
Washington is also currently on track to do something that would be really surprising. It’s not necessarily good or bad. In fact, it’s a bit of both. And it’s quite rare.
Entering play Tuesday, the Nationals lead MLB in both runs scored (262) and runs allowed (284) through 48 games. They have a bit of a cushion on both sides, too, leading the Braves by 12 runs scored and the Astros by 15 runs allowed.
Just how rare is this? According to MLB.com research, only one team has led the Majors in both categories over a full season since the league expanded to 30 teams in 1998: the 2008 Rangers.
That team, as you’d probably guess, hovered around .500 pretty much all year. With four offensive All-Stars -- Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, Milton Bradley and Michael Young -- they finished 79-83, good for second in the AL West behind the 100-win Angels and outside of a postseason spot.
Furthermore, only three other teams since 1998 have finished in the top three in runs scored and runs allowed over a full season. Considering where they play their home games, it’s who you’d expect in each occurrence: the 2001, 2014 and 2016 Rockies. Just one team, the 2003 Dodgers, has led the league in both the fewest runs scored and fewest runs allowed in a single season.
So, can the 2026 Nats join an exclusive group? History says it will be difficult, and after all, it wouldn’t necessarily be a positive sign for the upstart Nats’ playoff chances. But it’s a fun baseball oddity that is worth some more discussion while it holds.
The offense
Wood and Abrams have been among the most valuable hitters in baseball this year, with Wood eighth in FanGraphs offensive value (15.1) and Abrams sitting in 14th (12.5). Both with an All-Star selection already on their ledger, these two key pieces of the blockbuster Juan Soto trade to the Padres are realizing their ceilings.
The 23-year-old Wood popped 31 home runs in his first full MLB season a year ago, and the Statcast monster is back to doing it in 2026. He is leader in average exit velocity (96.5) and hard-hit rate (61.9%) thus far while slugging 12 homers.
Abrams, meanwhile, is sporting career-highs in barrel rate (10.7%) and walk rate (10.2%) en route to a strong .913 OPS with nine long balls.
Those two were more or less expected to produce in 2026, but the other pieces are what have propelled Washington to this rather unexpected offensive surge. Outfielder Daylen Lile has a .761 OPS with a .347 xwOBA. Catcher Keibert Ruiz has four homers in 29 games, including a five-RBI day. And don’t overlook waiver claim Joey Wiemer, who has crushed left-handed pitching to contribute to an overall 165 wRC+.
Wood looks like a superstar, and Abrams is a good, everyday hitter with “star” makeup. Lile is additionally an intriguing young piece, but largely, this scrappy Nats offense is the product of a bunch of lower-profile names just getting the job done. However, that likely indicates this torrid pace won’t hold up over the course of a full 162 games.
The pitching
This is the less-surprising aspect in all of this, as the Nationals entered the year with veteran reclamation types Miles Mikolas and Zack Littell in their rotation -- as well as 2025’s leader in home runs allowed, Jake Irvin.
There have been bright spots, as Foster Griffin has returned from his time in Nippon Professional Baseball to the tune of a 3.53 ERA. Hard-throwing Opening Day starter Cade Cavalli has also returned from arm injuries to record a 4.05 ERA with an even better 3.39 FIP.
But the bullpen is made up of journeymen and has MLB’s fifth-worst ERA at 5.01. Even Griffin’s strong numbers seem due for a decline, with a 4.49 expected ERA. His last outing was a rough one, allowing nine earned runs and two homers against the Reds.
The Nationals just don’t have much on their pitching staff. Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana are Top 100 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, but both are in Double-A and may not be ready for the big leagues this season.
Thus, it wouldn’t be a shock to see them continue to lead MLB in runs allowed through 2026. Leading all of baseball in runs scored, however, seems like much more of a longshot.