I chatted with Locked On Nationals podcast host Ryan Clary. We talked about his journey and the state of the team
Ryan Clary is one of the rising young voices in the Nationals media space. He hosts the Locked On Nationals podcast, where he discusses all things Nats baseball five days a week. Clary is also a producer at 106.7 the fan. He is one of the most passionate and informative voices in the space. Just a couple years older than myself, he has a similar background of seeing the team come to town as a child and growing up with the team. Here is our conversation.
Q: Can you just tell me a little bit about yourself, did you grow up in the area and how did you fall in love with DC sports?
A: I am from Annandale, Virginia and growing up when the Nationals first came I was 6 years old in 2005. Back then you had the Redskins at the time, you had the Wizards who were decent, but I was always a baseball guy. My dad grew up a baseball fan. He was a Yankees fan originally, then moved to the O’s once he moved down here and then ultimately took on the Washington Nationals.
Now I am here today and have loved this team ever since. I grew up playing baseball. My name is Ryan, I played third base growing up and wore number 11. You can see the connection there with Ryan Zimmerman, so he was an easy guy to gravitate towards. Once the winning started, it was like a drug, I was addicted.
Q: How long have you been doing the podcast, and what has that experience been like?
A: I have been with Locked On Nationals since 2022. The old host was leaving and I was working with 106.7 the fan. I got a hint that Locked On was looking for a young host. Someone who is fresh in the industry and willing to talk about the team five days a week. This was August 2022, the team had just traded Juan Soto. Not too many people were tuning in to listen to Nationals content at the time, unless it had to do with like James Wood and you can’t talk about a single-A player every day. I caught the hint that they would be hiring, I took the opportunity and now hopefully I have a chance to reap the benefits and we have a postseason team here soon.
Q: What are your thoughts on the offseason? Do you think they should have done more?
A: I absolutely think the Nationals should have done more. We have seen the Nationals be top 10 in baseball in payroll. While it is not Ted Lerner anymore, as he has unfortunately passed away, it is his son Mark Lerner. I think the Nationals are a lot better than what they are right now. Let’s say the Nationals added a star free agent or two, I think the Nationals would be in good standing right now. We would be talking about a very competitive team. I think they are now a starting pitcher and power bat away.
I like the acquisition of Nathaniel Lowe, he will be the star guy from this offseason. He is the headliner, but the Nationals should have done more. They are what, about 26th in baseball in payroll, it is not good enough. You had Patrick Corbin coming off the books. In my opinion, there was no excuse for them, you had to go all in and they did not. So, this was a disappointment for this season because I think they could have been something but now I am holding off the horses. I’m not sure this is a postseason team just yet.
Q: Who are some players you are looking forward to seeing in spring and early in the season?
A: There are a lot of guys, we can talk about James Wood and Dylan Crews all day. I am really excited for DJ Herz though. I have been banging this drum for quite a while now. I think DJ Herz has second highest ceiling as far as Nationals starters go. Also getting a look at Jarlin Susana. Brady House is another name I am looking at.
Especially with Susana, people talk about Paul Skenes. Of course, he was the number 1 pick in the draft and is dating Livvy Dunne, he is the headlining name. I am not saying Jarlin Susana is going to be Paul Skenes, he is not, but he does a lot of the same stuff. He pumps 101-102 MPH pretty consistently and he is just 20 years old. I am really interested to see what this kid does. Robert Hassell is another name out there. He was a former top 30 prospect in all of baseball. I thought he would have had two years in the big leagues at this point, but hasn’t even sniffed it yet. I am excited to see what he can do in Spring Training.
Q: Outside of the top couple guys, are there any prospects you are looking forward to seeing?
A: Catcher Caleb Lomavita is a guy i’m looking at. This guy was invited to big league camp. Some of that had to do with the Nationals just needing catchers. There are a lot of bullpens going on. I have been down to West Palm Beach a couple times and you need catchers.
If you look at the Nationals system, catcher is not really a strong point. They got Kevin Bazzell later on in that draft. Lomavita was picked right after Seaver King. He is going to be a very interesting guy because some people were talking about him being picked at number 10 for the Nationals and they got him later on. I think the Nationals think very highly of him. So I think it will be very interesting to monitor his development. Keibert Ruiz is not necessarily the full time guy going forward. I know he is signed until 2030, but that contract is easy to move off of. So I am really keeping an eye on the catcher position and what Caleb Lomavita provides because he has power and is alright defensively. Great athlete too that can steal bases from the catcher position.
Q: Do you have any exciting plans for the podcast this year?
A: We are going to be headed down to West Palm Beach in the middle of March. I am going to catch one of the prospect showcase games, the one against the Mets I believe. We are going to see some top prospects for the Nationals. I assume we will see Travis Sykora, Jarlin Susana, Brady House, Seaver King. Name a big Nats prospect, I will probably see them down there.
Hopefully I can get some interviews down there as well. It is not just the prospects down there as well. Last year we had Joey Gallo on the show, Dylan Crews for a little bit as well. We will get some prospects on the show, as well as some Nationals leaders to get some perspective on the 2025 Nationals.
Q: What is your bold prediction heading into this season for a player?
A: Oh man, this is a tough one… You are putting me on the spot here . I think DJ Herz is going to be your best starting pitcher in 2025 (Andrew Golden gave a very similar answer). That is going to be my bold, hot take entering the season. I think DJ Herz is really good! Something that hurt him last year was when he was walking guys. Against the Miami Marlins in June, he struck out 13 batters in six innings and walking zero batters. The guy is disgusting when he is on. I think Sean Doolittle will get the best out of him. He kind of reminds me of Doolittle as well. I think DJ Herz will be your Nationals ace in 2025.
I like DJ Herz a lot, he is exciting. Coming from that left side, he has a funky delivery. He is an interesting guy to look at. Looking back on that Jeimer Candelario trade in 2023, that could be a steal for this organization. That kid is good, and a really nice kid too. I got to talk to him a few times. Once he gets out there more, Nationals fans are going to love him.