MLB Team Preview Series - Washington Nationals
SteemSports Presenter: @bbleehehh9
SteemSports Editor: @theprophet0
The Nationals ran away with the National League East in 2017, finishing 97-65, a full 20 games ahead of the second place Miami Marlins. It was the second consecutive division title for the Nationals and their fourth in the last six seasons. Unfortunately, they were again bounced in the first round of the playoffs, this time by the the Cubs.
Impact Additions:
Matt Adams, Joaquin Benoit
Key Departures:
Jayson Werth, Adam Lind,
Projected Lineup:
LF - Adam Eaton
SS - Trea Turner
RF - Bryce Harper
3B - Anthony Rendon
2B - Daniel Murphy
1B - Ryan Zimmerman
C - Matt Wieters
CF - Michael Taylor
Projected Rotation:
Max Scherzer
Stephen Strasburg
Gio Gonzalez
Tanner Roark
A.J. Cole
Projected Closer:
Sean Doolittle
Ryan Madson / Brandon Kintzler / Shawn Kelley
Through all of their success over this six-year stretch, they have yet to win a playoff series. They have also gone through three managers already (Davey Johnson, Matt Williams and Dusty Baker), each of whom couldn’t get them over the hump. Enter: first-time skipper Dave Martinez who is tasked with doing exactly that in 2018.
From a pure talent perspective, there aren’t many (if any) teams that stack up favorably to the Nationals. They boast the best 1-2 punch atop any rotation in the National League in Scherzer and Strasburg and may have the best overall lineup in the National League. They have two of the top overall players in the game in Bryce Harper and Trea Turner, and surround them with Anthony Rendon, Daniel Murphy, Adam Eaton and a resurgent Ryan Zimmerman.
The biggest hole that the Nats have on offense is behind the plate with Matt Wieters who has seen his production fall off a cliff in recent years. Still, he’s terrific defensively and should hit for enough power to still provide something.
Where I would have liked to see the club acquire some depth over the winter is in their starting rotation. They’re terrific 1-3 and Tanner Roark is fine as a fourth guy, but the combination of A.J. Cole and Joe Ross may not be able to get it done for a club that has World Series aspirations. The depth behind them also isn’t as strong as I would like as you don’t want Edwin Jackson and/or Tommy Milone eating too many innings at the big league level.
While the present is very bright in Washington, the future may be even more so, and it’ll be on display in 2018 in the form of Victor Robles. The 20-year-old top prospect owns a dazzling blend of power and speed and should get a chance in the Nationals’ outfield at some point during the upcoming season.
Fantasy Sleeper - Adam Eaton - OF
One player on the Nationals who I feel isn’t getting the love from fantasy owners that he should be is Adam Eaton. He was terrific in 23 games for the Nationals before suffering a season-ending knee injury, slashing .297/.393/.462 with a pair of homers, 24 runs scored and three stolen bases. There’s a very reasonable chance that he could lead the National League in runs scored hitting ahead of Turner and Harper and he should add 10-15 homers and 15-18 stolen bases with a plus-average. He’s currently going off of draft boards around pick 130 which seems way too low given the upside.
Fantasy Bust - Tanner Roark - SP
I’m not a big believer in Tanner Roark, never have been. For years he out-performed his peripherals and I urged that regression was coming, and it smacked him in the face during the 2017 season. The one thing that he has going for him is that he pitches for a good team and should be in a position to win ballgames, though we all know that wins are highly variable and not necessarily directly correlated to team success. An ERA a shade over 4.00 with a middling WHIP and only 8.0 K/9 just isn’t exciting at all. There are 10-15 starting pitchers getting selected after pick 264 (where Roark’s ADP currently sits) that I would much rather have.
Team Projection
Realistically, the Nationals should have no difficulty winning their third straight division title in the National League East. In fact, if that’s all they do, the season will be viewed as a catastrophic failure. The team must win a playoff series, and probably needs to advance to the World Series, in order to call the season a success. Losing to the Cubs in the division series again would simply not be acceptable.
Once again this team is loaded. As a Mets fan, I had to deal with Atlanta all those years and now it's Washington that breezes through the regular season every year. ugh
You are so right about how lethal the lineup is. And the top of the rotation is virtually unhittable. I have no idea why this team can't seem to wrap up a playoff series. Really weird and I'm not so sure Dave Martinez is the answer. Regardless if he was a solid professional player. There's got to be a reason that he has been interviewing for jobs for the last 8 years and never even ending up a finalist. Makes me wonder.
Hey....I hope they struggle. : )
Yeah, I'd understand how that can be frustrating from the perspective of a Mets' fan, as there's really no end in sight for this young Nationals' core.
I also have a a hard time figuring out why they can't get it done in October. You have to think with Scherzer and Strasburg atop the rotation and each going twice in a five-game set, that they should be able to get over the hump.
Davey Martinez may not be the answer, but at least he was given a three-year contract so he'll have time to work his magic. Prior to that, they had been handing out two-year deals or making managers go year-to-year on their contracts which sets up a lame duck situation.
Nice update and analysis thanks for sharing, ..