Washington Nationals Season Preview: The Pick

The Washington Nationals wre fantastic last year, but they will be forever remembered for their decision to shut down Stephen Strasburg just as the playoffs arrived.  They finished the year with 98 wins behind excellent starting pitching and big contributions from the middle of the lineup.  If The Shutdown was at all palatable, it was becaue the Nats were positioned to compete for World Series Championships for years to come.  They might have sacrificed their 2012 chances, but Strasburg will be unleashed in 2013 and it signifies the beginning of dynastic ambitions in Washington.

Projected Lineup: 

1. Denard Span CF
2. Jayson Werth RF
3. Bryce Harper LF
4. Ryan Zimmerman 3B
5. Adam LaRoche 1B
6. Ian Desmond SS
7. Danny Espinosa 2B
8. Wilson Ramos C

Projected Rotation: 

• Stephen Strasburg
• Gio Gonzalez
• Jordan Zimmermann
• Dan Haren
• Ross Detwiler

Strengths: 

Rotation: Stephan Strasburg is as talented as any pitcher in the world.  He is now basically two years removed from Tommy John and appears ready to wreck the National League with his insane reperoire, including an 89 mph changeup. Gio Gonzalez won 21 games last year, complemented that with a 2.89 ERA, and finished 3rd in the Cy Young voting.  Jordan Zimmermann managed a 2.94 ERA and Ross Detwiler had a 3.40 ERA.  This group should get even better as it continues to enter its prime together.  With the addition of Dan Haren, the top-to-bottom depth of this rotation is the best in the majors and should help lead this team to a bunch of wins, regardless of the quality of the lineup.

Bullpen:  The National’s bullpen is obnoxiously deep.  The three headed monster of Rafael Soriano, Tyler Clippard, and Drew Storen have all been very good closers in the bigs.  Soriano figures to get the 9th, but should he waver whatsoever, the Nationals will be just fine.  Ryan Mattheus and his 2.84 career ERA is back.  So is the guy with the league’s 3rd fastest fastball in baseball, Henry Rodriguez.  Craig Stammen’s 2.34 ERA last year just adds to this embarrassment of riches.  The Nationals will hold opposing offenses at bay through 9 innings no problem.

Depth: The Nationals have a very good lineup, with an excellent balance of speed and power and lefties and righties.  They also have a load of young guys waiting to step in should anybody go down with injury.  We did a piece on Anthony Rendon, and Tyler Moore can more than hold his own.  Roger Bernadina and Steve Lombardozzi are universal backups who deserve a shot somewhere to start everyday.  Meanwhile, they’ve basically gone with a two catcher approach in Wilson Ramos and Kurt Suzuki.  This is a team that is very good 1-25.

Weaknesses: 

Leftside Infield Defense:  Ian Desmond is constantly battling to have more homeruns than errors; Ryan Zimmerman has developped a small case of the yips at third base. Danny Espinosa by all accounts is pretty good and Adam LaRoche is always lauded for his 1B defense, but I don’t really care.  More people hit it to the other side.  If Zimmerman can’t throw the ball across the diamond, that could be a big issue for this team.

Innings Limit:  Each of the Nationals young starters was babied a bit last year: None pitched 200 innings in 2012.  It’ll be interesting to see how they react to a bit more freedom this year.  It’s an organizational approach to protect their young arms, but I’m sure fans in Washington are ready for those young arms to be made into workhorses.

Jayson Werth’s beard is gross.

Storylines: 

Does Bryce Harper become the Superstar he was always supposed to be or just another overly hyped pretty good player?

How many times does Stephen Strasburg dominate opposing lineups?

Can Adam LaRoche repeat his monster 2012 campaign?

Can Jayson Werth stay healthy for the whole season and halfway live up to his contract?

Prediction: 

98-64, 1st Place, NL East.  The Nationals are the best team in baseball, on paper.  They appear ready to deal with the rigors of a 162 game season and Off The Bench fully expects them to compete in October.

Bold Predictions: 

• Bryce Haper finishes with 36 homers and a .278 average
• Jordan Zimmermann has a better year than Stephen Strasburg
• Adam LaRoche has the 7th most homers on the Nationals
• Davey Johnson and Franklin the Turtle are actually the same

-Sean Morash

Stat of the Day: Robinson Cano has left Scott Boras just before he is due for his free agent pay day and has instead signed with Jay-Z’s new label agency.