2011 Washington Nationals Predictions
The Washington Nationals have brought up the rear in the NL East each of the last three seasons. They did, however, show some noticeable improvement in 2010, winning 10 more games than they did in 2009. More improvement should be on the way, but that doesn’t mean the Nats will find their way out of the division basement. MLB odds makers have listed the Washington Nationals at +7500 to win the 2011 World Series.
Pitching: I would like Washington’s chances a whole lot better in 2011 if Stephen Strasburg was starting the year in the rotation. The young phenom lived up to the hype in my opinion, going 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA, before enduring an elbow injury. Strasburg could miss the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
With Strasburg out, the Nats will likely give the ball to Livan Hernandez on Opening Day. A 10-12 record was not indicative of how well he pitched last season; a 3.66 ERA told the story. 2010 Opening Day starter John Lannan got off to a rough start last season. He was able to get things figured out during a stint in the minors and returned to post a 3.42 ERA over the final two months.
Jordan Zimmerman, Jason Marquis, Ross Detwiler and Chien-Ming Wang are expected to make up the final three rotation spots. Zimmerman and Stasburg could be known as one of the better one-two punches in baseball a few years down the road. Detwiler is another young arm that could fit into Washington’s future plans. The Nats are hoping Marquis and Wang can rediscover their winning ways. Marquis should be motivated after a nightmare 2010. It will be interesting to see how Wang performs after missing all of last season with a shoulder injury.
Washington’s bullpen was a major bright spot a season ago. Drew Storen, the No. 10 pick in the 2009 draft, has the biggest upside of the group. He should get the first shot to close following a solid rookie campaign.
Lineup: The bat of first baseman Adam Dunn will be missed. Fortunately, the Nats were able to cushion the blow by signing Adam LaRoche, who had 25 home runs and 100 RBIs for Arizona last season.
Second baseman Danny Espinosa, shortstop Ian Desmond and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman are expected to join LaRoche on the infield. The Nats really like Espinosa and Desmond and both will get a long leash as the team allows them to mature. Zimmerman has one of the best gloves in baseball at the hot corner, and he can hit too. He batted .307 with 25 round trippers and 85 RBIs in 2010.
The lineup should get an added boost from the addition of right fielder Jayson Werth, who hit .296 with 27 jacks and 85 RBIs for the Phillies last season. Nyjer Morgan and Rodger Bernadina are expected to join Werth in the outfield in center and left respectively. Morgan must rebound from his worst season in the bigs. Rick Ankiel and Michael Morse provide the Nats with some decent outfield depth.
The great Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez is expected to platoon with either Wilson Ramos or Jesus Flores behind home plate.
Prediction – 5th Place NL East: The 2011 season is all about building toward 2012, when Strasburg will be healthy and 2010 top draft pick Bryce Harper will hopefully be ready for a call up. With that said, Washington could still threaten the .500 mark if the starting pitching exceeds expections. The Nationals are listed at +1500 to win the NL East.
