Last year, the Nationals surprised all of baseball when they not only
made it to their first playoff appearance in franchise history, but won
a division dominated by the Phillies as of late. It seemed like the
planets were aligned for the young scrappy Nats to make their October
debut. With the Philies suffering from numerous injuries and the new
star studded Marlins falling apart by June, the only reason they did not
win the World Series- themselves, and the innings limit placed on
Stephen Strasburg. Not to say Strasburg would have shown flashes of
Christy Mathewson and throw 3 shutouts in the World Series, but he would
have doubled everything Gio Gonzalez did. Strasburg, not pitching, may
have even effected the team with all the skepticism the situation drew,
deteriorating the morale of young, inexperienced players.
It was those young inexperienced players that got the Nationals that far, and now a year older, the likes of Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman, and Ian Desmond will lead this team offensively back to the playoffs. There is not much question about what Zimmerman will do. He may only be 29, but he is the seasoned veteran of the team. If Zimmerman was able to perform well as a young player during those horrific Nationals seasons, I cannot think of a reason why he will not put up those number as a veteran on a contending team. Harper, on their other hand, well Harper is Bryce Harper. There is no way to analyze or break him down. Bryce Harper is an anomaly. As a boy in a man's league, Harper put up quality numbers, but not to the extent of what was expected of him. With a full season under his belt, Harper will take off and begin what should be a long streak of All Star Game starts.
Power will not be a question this year. Along with Zimmerman and Harper, Ian Desmond and Adam LaRoche will be the main catalysts of the lineup. I am not sure which Jayson Werth will show up. In his first two seasons after signing a mega-million deal with the Nationals, Werth has not lived up to his standards or his contract. In 2011, Werth succumbed to the pressure of carrying a team, batting only .232. Last year, Werth finished with a .300 average, but could not stay on the field, playing in only 81 games. The 6'5'' Werth has shown that he can produce as a table setter or run producer, dating back to his days with the Phillies. It is just a question of will he. The acquisition of Denard Span will be a big difference maker, as his speed can give guys like Zimmerman runs to drive in.
Kurt Suzuki is back behind the plate, working with an extremely talented young pitching staff. First off, there is Stephen Strasburg. This will be the year Strasburg takes off and is put into the same conversations as Tom Seaver and Warren Spahn. I am predicting Strasburg to win 20 games and be named the coveted All Star Game starting pitcher, partially because of his talent and because of how special he is. Gio Gonzalez had a terrific year last season, but I am not sure how the controversy surrounding him being included in the Anthony Bosch bio genesis clinic will effect him. It seems as if Jordan Zimmerman and Ross Detwiler have been Nationals forever, even though they are relatively young. Both Zimmerman and Detwiler will win somewhere around 10-15 games. Newly acquired Dan Haren is the key. By acquiring Haren, the Nats have improved this year and the future. Haren will serve as a mentor to the younger pitchers and teach them what it takes to be successful in this league, while utilizing his experience down the stretch and winning potentially around 13 games. I am not thoroughly impressed with the Nationals' bullpen, but the starting rotation and offense both will be good enough that even an average bullpen will not hurt the team too much.
I am projecting the Nationals to finish with a record of 101-61. The Braves will serve as a big threat to the reigning Division champs, with an outfield of the Upton brothers and Jason Heyward, along with Craig Kimbrel. Other than that, there is not too much for the Nationals to worry about with a less than exciting pitching rotation and an unknown offense beyond Atlanta's version of the Big 3, but after all wasn't the Nationals offense considered "unknown" just a few years ago? This will also probably be one of the last years of contention for the Phillies. If they can stay healthy, I am projecting the Nationals to win the division and dominate the National League throughout the playoffs, and meet up with the Angels in the World Series. The only question is, will they be good enough to beat Trout, Pujols, and Hamilton to add another ring to Davey Johnson's hand?
It was those young inexperienced players that got the Nationals that far, and now a year older, the likes of Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman, and Ian Desmond will lead this team offensively back to the playoffs. There is not much question about what Zimmerman will do. He may only be 29, but he is the seasoned veteran of the team. If Zimmerman was able to perform well as a young player during those horrific Nationals seasons, I cannot think of a reason why he will not put up those number as a veteran on a contending team. Harper, on their other hand, well Harper is Bryce Harper. There is no way to analyze or break him down. Bryce Harper is an anomaly. As a boy in a man's league, Harper put up quality numbers, but not to the extent of what was expected of him. With a full season under his belt, Harper will take off and begin what should be a long streak of All Star Game starts.
Power will not be a question this year. Along with Zimmerman and Harper, Ian Desmond and Adam LaRoche will be the main catalysts of the lineup. I am not sure which Jayson Werth will show up. In his first two seasons after signing a mega-million deal with the Nationals, Werth has not lived up to his standards or his contract. In 2011, Werth succumbed to the pressure of carrying a team, batting only .232. Last year, Werth finished with a .300 average, but could not stay on the field, playing in only 81 games. The 6'5'' Werth has shown that he can produce as a table setter or run producer, dating back to his days with the Phillies. It is just a question of will he. The acquisition of Denard Span will be a big difference maker, as his speed can give guys like Zimmerman runs to drive in.
Kurt Suzuki is back behind the plate, working with an extremely talented young pitching staff. First off, there is Stephen Strasburg. This will be the year Strasburg takes off and is put into the same conversations as Tom Seaver and Warren Spahn. I am predicting Strasburg to win 20 games and be named the coveted All Star Game starting pitcher, partially because of his talent and because of how special he is. Gio Gonzalez had a terrific year last season, but I am not sure how the controversy surrounding him being included in the Anthony Bosch bio genesis clinic will effect him. It seems as if Jordan Zimmerman and Ross Detwiler have been Nationals forever, even though they are relatively young. Both Zimmerman and Detwiler will win somewhere around 10-15 games. Newly acquired Dan Haren is the key. By acquiring Haren, the Nats have improved this year and the future. Haren will serve as a mentor to the younger pitchers and teach them what it takes to be successful in this league, while utilizing his experience down the stretch and winning potentially around 13 games. I am not thoroughly impressed with the Nationals' bullpen, but the starting rotation and offense both will be good enough that even an average bullpen will not hurt the team too much.
I am projecting the Nationals to finish with a record of 101-61. The Braves will serve as a big threat to the reigning Division champs, with an outfield of the Upton brothers and Jason Heyward, along with Craig Kimbrel. Other than that, there is not too much for the Nationals to worry about with a less than exciting pitching rotation and an unknown offense beyond Atlanta's version of the Big 3, but after all wasn't the Nationals offense considered "unknown" just a few years ago? This will also probably be one of the last years of contention for the Phillies. If they can stay healthy, I am projecting the Nationals to win the division and dominate the National League throughout the playoffs, and meet up with the Angels in the World Series. The only question is, will they be good enough to beat Trout, Pujols, and Hamilton to add another ring to Davey Johnson's hand?
No comments:
Post a Comment