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2009 Washington Nationals Odds & Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd on March 12, 2009

nationals-31209 2008 was pure misery for the Nationals and their fans alike as they lost over 100 games. A heavy dose of the injury bug crippled a team already lacking the talent to compete with the Phillies and the Mets in the division. The good news is that there is only one way to go from here. I’m sorry to break your heart Nationals fans but I don’t see your team being this year’s Tampa Bay Rays. The Washington Nationals are listed at +15,000 to win the 2009 World Series.

Pitching
If you look around at the good pitching staffs in the league, they all have one thing in common – a strong one-two punch. The Nationals don’t even have a two. Southpaw John Lannan became the team’s ace de facto after he posted a 3.91 ERA in his first full season, but his 9-15 record does not have the look of a true No. 1. To his credit, the Nationals were among the worst run support teams in baseball a season ago. The Nats bring another lefty to the top of the rotation with Scott Olsen, who comes over from Florida. Olsen went 8-11 for the Marlins with a 4.20 ERA in 2008. So far in his career, Olsen has been able to gobble up innings but not wins. Daniel Cabrera is the wild card as he has the look of an ace, but his frequent control problems have outweighed his infrequent flashes of brilliance. Cabrera was 8-10 with a 5.25 ERA for the Orioles last season. There’s no telling what this guy could have been on a good team, but at this point it appears his confidence is shot. Collin Balester will be back in the starting rotation after a tough rookie stint and the young Jordan Zimmerman is expected to have some more growing pains as well.

The bullpen is inexperienced and unproven and to think that this was the strength of the team just two seasons back. Joel Hanrahan has a good mid-90’s fastball and a hard slider. He should be fine in the closer role if he can locate his pitches better than he has shown in the past. It’s unclear what to expect from the rest of the guys. The Nationals will go with who ever is hot.

Lineup
Switch-hitting shortstop Cristian Guzman was the team’s lone All-Star in 2008. He had a career year, batting .316 with 183 hits. You also have to love that he doesn’t strike out very often. The Nats are expecting big things from center fielder Lastings Milledge, hoping he’ll improve on the .268 average, 14 homeruns, 61 RBIs, and 24 steals he had in his first MLB season. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is easily Washington’s most popular player and should eventually reach All-Star status. He hit .283 with 14 jacks and 51 RBIs in just 106 games last season. Right fielder Elijah Dukes will likely be the clean up hitter on Opening Day. He came through with 13 homeruns and 44 RBIs in just 81 games after being called up. First baseman Nick Johnson, left fielder Josh Willingham, catcher Jesus Flores, and second baseman Anderson Hernandez round out the order.

Prediction: 5th NL East
The Nationals will be bringing up the rear in NL East as they battle established powerhouses, Philadelphia and New York, with young players. No part of this team is completely stable so we will once again be looking for the areas that are a surprise to keep us engaged with this team. The Washington Nationals are listed at +1800 to win the NL East.

Make this the best MLB betting season of your life by beating the baseball odds with Jimmy Boyd’s award winning MLB picks.

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