The 2011 season was an interesting one for the Nationals; they came into the season with Jim Riggleman as their manager. On June 23rd, the skipper led the Nats to their 11th win in 12 games and had them over .500 the latest in the season since 2005. However, Riggleman was unhappy with his contract situation and basically quit on his team that was on this fantastic hot streak, and decided to resign. John
McLaren took over for a few days before former senior advisor to the GM, Davey Johnson, took over the team.
Big offseason acquisition, Jayson Werth, had a miserable first year in D.C. (.232/.330/.389) and truly showed that he is not best suited to be the main power threat in a line up, but more of a complementary part. After Adam LaRoche went down with an injury, Michael Morse came in and had a great year (.303/.360/.550), much of a surprise to most people around the league. Stephen Strasburg made a full comeback from his injury in 2010, and Davey Johnson had Washington playing its best baseball in the final month, finishing the season 17-10.
The Nats finished third in the NL East last year behind the Phillies and Braves, which was their highest finish since they moved to D.C. Their 80-81 record gave them the most wins in a season since 2005, and Mike Rizzo’s action in the winter showed the organization and its fans that they’re ready to put a winner on the field this year.