MLB Preview 2015: Washington Nationals
It is now time for us to move on to the National Leage. I will begin by previewing the National League East's Washington Nationals.
Washington Nationals 2014 Record: 96-66
Team Overview:
The Nationals are prime and ready to make a World Series and on paper they may the best in the MLB. The team has two big time break out candidates in Anthony Rendon and Bryce Harper. Rendon, at 24 may be the safer bet at this point after his 2014 break out. He is set to enter his prime and has been given third base, after spending most of 2014 at second. Harper is only 22 but has seen his share of injuries. When he is healthy there is no doubt he is a future star and these two can combine to carry a lineup. With them they have more power in Ryan Zimmerman, Jayson Werth, and Ian Desmond. Zimmerman will be taking over ever day first base duties, and is coming off an injury. He appears to be fine and I don’t see switching positions affecting his hitting. Desmond may be the most overlooked in the loaded lineup, but he is probably also the most valuable player. He brings defense at short and 20 home run power to go with 20 steal ability. He has had four straight 20-20 seasons and at 29 he should still be set in his prime. Werth had offseason shoulder surgery and with him going on 36 he is the guy you need to watch every move under a microscope. Fortunately the team has depth and a youth to replace Werth in a former prospect Michael Taylor. Taylor will start opening day as Werth gets ready to go and Denard Span will join him and Harper. Span isn’t the best bat, but he can lead off and when he gets on he moves. With a plethora of big bats behind him he can score plenty of runs. Wilson Ramos only adds to the talent as not only a great defensive catcher, but a power bat as well. It is hard to poke holes at this line up to be honest.
The lineup is great and all but is anyone comparing it to the greatest of recent history? I don’t think so, but the pitching is. To start at the bottom is Doug Fister who is a capable starter and a third or fourth guy in any other rotation. He had a 2.41 era in 25 starts last season, but he seems to be clearly the fifth best pitcher. You could argue that Gio Gonzalez didn’t have the same stats as Fister, but as far as saber metric projections and the age of the two I would say Gonzalez is the number 4 guy. He misses enough bats to be a great starter and no other team can say they have 3 better pitchers. The top three on the Nationals is about as tough to sort out as the top 10 pitchers in baseball list. That is probably because all three should crack that list as well. Adding Max Scherzer to Jordan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg, while all three are still in their primes is the biggest follow in baseball. A lot of people thought that this Scherzer move put them over the top, but to be honest they may have been there without the big time arm. The bullpen looks to be stronger on paper with the signing of Casey Janssen. It is just hard to find holes on the team.
What To Watch For:
The biggest hole on the team is also a very interesting position to watch. Yunel Escobar was once a prospect with a strong future but now at 32 he has mostly been just a guy. The Nats acquired him this off-season and believe he has every chance to start, because their initial hope at second, Danny Espinosa has proven he cannot hit MLB pitching. Espinosa will compete and can be a utility guy, but he needs to consistently hit above .200 first. Lastly the team has Dan Uggla to compete, another guy who struggles to get that average to .200. Uggla is 35 and has power but has seen better days. With most of the trio being older and who they are now there isn’t much upside to watch for. It may not be the most glamorous watch but one of the three needs to step up, or they might need to do something.
On to a brighter spot is Michael Taylor. Taylor was impressive in the minors last season and the team decided trading Steven Souza, instead of him to Tampa Bay was a better baseball decision. Only time will tell that but Taylor, like Souza for the Rays, has his chance to make his name this year. All three of the outfielders come with their share of questions and he is already starting opening day so if he can play well the playing time should not be hard to come by.
Where Do They Rank?
A couple teams seemed to improve but this still isn’t one of the tougher divisions in baseball. The Nationals look like a 100 win team on paper, and I see little to make me think the Mets or Marlins can compete for too long. This team is ranked 1st in the division and I may have them 1st in the MLB.
