The Washington Nationals on Sunday activated Gerardo Parra. He'll serve as a fourth outfielder behind starters Juan Soto, Victor Robles and Kyle Schwarber. Normally, this sort of activation wouldn't really move the needle, but there are special circumstances.
First off, the Nationals are hot right now. They've won six of their last seven games. Sure, they are still six games back in the NL East and sit in fourth place, but we all know about 2019. On June 20 that season, they were two games under .500 and weren't in playoff position then, either. Parra had been added to the Nationals after a trade that season in the second week of May. The Nationals would go 50-39 in games in which he appeared in the regular season, but it was much more than that. He brought a vibe and it became the Nationals' calling card in 2019.
Presenting the Baby Shark:
The Nats would ride that wave all the way to the World Series championship.
Parra, now 34, would hit free agency after 2019 and played last season in Japan. Thus far in 2021, he's hit .222/.385/.333 in 21 games for Triple-A Rochester, but the numbers are really beside the point.
The Nationals just need outfield depth at this juncture and that's what Parra provides. He's likely still a quality defender on the corners and could handle center field if need be.
Plus, Parra was a big chemistry guy for the Nationals World Series championship team and they'll look to catch lightning in a bottle on that front again. Now that the fans are back in ballparks, perhaps we'll see Nationals Park -- where they've drawn over 25,000 recently -- rocking to Baby Shark with a pinch hit appearance from Parra as soon as Sunday.
