The Nationals’ catching room was the worst in baseball for the first 3 months of the season, and there was no debating it. From the beginning of the season to July 5th (Keibert Ruiz’s last game before being placed back on the IL with a concussion), they ranked 2nd to last in wRC+ in baseball with 54, ahead of only the Giants, and 2nd to last in baseball in defensive WAR with -6.1, ahead of only the Astros. Unlike the Giants and Astros, who were receiving positive impact on one side of the ball but not the other from their catchers, the Nationals were receiving neither, leading to them having a worst in baseball -1.7 fWAR from their catchers, on pace for the worst in baseball history.
While some of the blame for the catching woes could be assigned to then backup catcher Riley Adams, who posted a 21 wRC+ and -0.7 fWAR through 28 games, the majority of the blame could be placed on the starter Keibert Ruiz, who in 68 games had a 65 wRC+ and -1.0 fWAR, abysmal numbers for a starting catcher, especially one of a long term deal. There was some hope for 2025 to be a breakout year for Ruiz after he posted a 113 wRC+ in April, but hope faded after he put up a 54 wRC+ in May and a horrendous -7 wRC+ in June, all while being one of the worst defenders in all of baseball.
While it was unfortunate to see Ruiz’s 2025 season possibly ended by a concussion in July, as head injuries are never something to take lightly, the silver lining was an opportunity to see what the Nats had in their backup catchers, Riley Adams and Drew Millas. And as it turns out, they may have something. Just take a look at the comparison of the numbers from when Ruiz was the starter, to now with Riley Adams and Drew Millas splitting time behind the dish.
Nationals Catchers Numbers from Opening Day to July 5th (89 Games)
BsR (Base running runs above average): -2.6 (23rd)
Defensive WAR: -6.1 (29th)
Nationals Catchers Numbers from July 6th to August 6th (27 Games)
Defensive WAR: 0.0 (23rd)
The sample is smaller, but the results are undeniably better. After spending half the year getting some of the worst hitting, fielding, and baserunning out of the catcher position, the Nationals catching tandem of Adams and Millas has combined to become average to great in all 3 categories. Riley Adams has especially benefited from the additional playing time, as after being one of the worst backup catchers in baseball and possibly on DFA watch for the first 3 months, he’s put up a 113 wRC+ and raised his BB/K ratio from 0.05 as a backup to 0.28 as a starter.
Drew Millas, whom I’ve clamored for to get the majority of the reps for a while now due to his defense and baserunning being miles ahead of Ruiz and Adams, is also showing out in his opportunity to showcase what he’s got at the big league level. In 11 games, Millas has posted a 148 wRC+, 0.50 BB/K ratio, and 0.5 fWAR, all while being an above-average framer behind the dish and showing one of the best pop-times of all catchers in baseball. Iron sharpens iron, and in a battle to prove who deserves to be the Nationals’ full-time backup moving forward, Adams and Millas have actually both proven themselves more than Ruiz has in the past 3 years.
So what happens when Ruiz does come back? If it were Mike Rizzo and Davey Martines still in charge, you could bet he’d be back to his regular job, catching 6 times a week and hitting in the back half of the Nationals lineup. But with them gone, there is little tying a new regime to Ruiz other than the fact that his contract ties him to the Nationals until at least 2030. If he does come back in 2025, he is going to have to prove that he can outhit his defensive woes, or else the Nats will likely look to make an upgrade at catcher over the winter.
Ruiz could end up being the team’s backup, or the team may feel that Riley Adams or Drew Millas has more to offer in a backup role and send him to Triple-A, where he needs to refine his plate approach and get back to slugging the ball the same way he did at the start of his career. While Ruiz is out of minor league options and would need to pass through waivers, there is almost no chance any team takes on him and his contract, and if they do, it is cause for celebration for Nationals fans.