Martinez: Nats' next World Series title is coming 'real soon'

MLB.com sat down with Nationals manager Dave Martinez in his office Monday afternoon, and he has a positive outlook for the team. He went so far as to say the team will win a second World Series title under his watch.

MLB.com: This is your seventh season with the Nationals. How would you describe your tenure with the organization?

Dave Martinez: It never gets old. I get to spend [my days] in this uniform. I get to spend time with the guys. I built unbelievable relationships with the front office and ownership. It means a lot to me. It has been very special around here. We were able to do something that people dream of, and that’s winning a championship together [in 2019]. We are going to win another one real soon.

MLB.com: Why do you feel the Nationals are going to win a second championship?

Martinez: I look at some of our young kids, I look at the people I work with. We are very passionate about the game and organization. I just think it’s just a matter of time. We have some young players who are unbelievable. [General manager] Mike Rizzo has done a great job filling in some of the blanks. It’s just a matter of time before our guys develop and understand they can compete and win here.

MLB.com: Could you name some of the players you look forward to managing?

Martinez: We have some now like CJ Abrams, Keibert Ruiz, Josiah Gray, MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, who just scratched the surface for us last year. Jackson Rutledge came up for a little bit last year. Now we have guys like Zach Brzykcy and James Wood. We have Dylan Crews. The list goes on. You might see some of those guys this year. We are very excited about these guys.

MLB.com: The team made a significant improvement in the won-loss column last year. What changed?

Martinez: I think it’s player development. We started developing the players. I think they started believing they belong in the big leagues. That’s the biggest thing. When you start getting confidence, it changes the mindset of what you are trying to do every day. Those guys bought in [what we were trying to do], and they started taking off last year. They started really playing the game constantly, and we started winning games.

MLB.com: I saw a swagger in the team during the 2023 season. It was missing the previous three seasons. Where did they get it?

Martinez: It’s a belief. I really [think so]. They started playing together. It’s kind of the culture they developed as a group. … It matters when each player believes in one another, and they go out there and do the things they can do. This group feels they have something special. They don’t like losing. If you saw the way they played last year, they played hard for 27 outs. We could be out of a game, and they would always make a run to come back. That says a lot. Now we have to start the games like that and finish them. Once we start doing that, the wins will start piling up.

MLB.com: One guy who showed swagger last year was Abrams. Is he the real deal and why?

Martinez: I love the kid. I think you saw CJ scratch the surface. This kid has unbelievable talent. He learned a lot about himself and his struggles in the beginning. He played a lot better. I challenged him a little bit. When I put him in the leadoff spot, he took off and he accepted the role. The whole thing was, this is about [Abrams]. I felt he could do it. But he had to make [the leadoff spot] his, and he did.

MLB.com: What do you expect from Abrams this year?

Martinez: Ah, this guy can steal as many bases as he wants. You saw the power. It’s there. He has the ability to play shortstop and he has the range. It’s all there. … I tell him to just get a little bit better.

MLB.com: The Nationals didn’t make significant moves, but you added outfielder/first baseman Joey Gallo and reliever Dylan Floro. Regarding Gallo, we know he is a great defender. The issue is his offense, which hasn’t been good the last few years. What makes this team think he can do the job offensively?

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Martinez: We needed somebody in the middle of our lineup that could hit that three-run homer. He has potential to do it. He has done it. He understands it. I think with our coaching staff, with [hitting coach] Darnell Coles and [assistant hitting coach] Chris Johnson and myself, I think we will get Gallo to understand he can do a lot more. We are going to help him get there. He has a lot of potential to hit 30 homers and drive in 100. We are going to work with him. I know he is a Gold Glover, and he can play some defense. We are excited about that as well.

MLB.com: Gallo is the poster boy for launch angle. Last year, you did not want launch-angle hitters; you wanted line drives and hit the ball the other way. Can you get Gallo to do those things?

Martinez: I believe we can. I really do. Like I said, it’s a mentality that you must have. But our guys bought in. We put the ball in play, as you can see. I think the home runs started coming toward the end. It’s going to come. I don’t want to change too much [with Gallo], but if we could cut down the strikeouts a little bit and he puts the ball in play more -- he is so strong. Convincing him to cut his swing down a little bit, move the baseball, home runs will be there. We are excited to have him.

MLB.com: The Nationals added Dylan Floro. He can really help your bullpen. If you look at your bullpen on paper, if the relievers stay healthy, the Nationals could have an awesome bullpen. What do you think?

Martinez: I’m very excited about our bullpen. … We have to get to the back end of the bullpen with Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey. Those guys do really well. Having Floro, Tanner Rainey back healthy, Robert Garcia, Jose A. Ferrer and Jordan Weems, who did exceptional last year, I think we have something there.

MLB.com: You have two significant players from 2019 that are still with the team, and that’s Victor Robles and Patrick Corbin. How important is it for them to make that comeback?

Martinez: Robles, I thought he was really coming into his own last year. He started off well and then he got hurt. This year, he looks great. If he can continue to do what he started last year, he could really help, and he is young. He can still play.

Corbin, I love him to death. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know if we would have won the World Series. He was tremendous, especially when I needed him out of the bullpen. He was unbelievable. He will be a free agent at the end of the year. He came to Spring Training. He looks good. He came in with a positive mindset. It looks like he is ready to go. He added another pitch. I’m looking forward to watching him go out there and compete.

One thing I can tell you about Corbin, he never complains. He takes the ball every five days. He is going to give us 180 innings, and I love that about him.

MLB.com: You worked for the Rays [as bench coach] when they went from the bottom to the top, when they played the Phillies in the 2008 World Series. What do you take from that Rays team that you could add to the Nationals?

Martinez: For me, it’s all about the process. We talk about, the process is fearless. Stick to the process. They will get there. That was all about teaching. We have to teach every day. The coaches make fun of me because I tell them, “Hey, these guys are from Mars." They don’t know anything about the game, and we have to repeat ourselves 1,000 times sometimes for them to get it. Once they get it, you will feel good about yourself. Keep teaching.