2012 MLB Season Preview: Washington Nationals

The 2011 season was an interesting one for the Nationals; they came into the season with Jim Riggleman as their manager. On June 23^rd, the skipper led the Nats to their 11^th 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.

Projected Starting Line-up, Rotation, and Bullpen

Starting Line-up:

1. SS Ian Desmond

2. 2B Danny Espinosa

3. 3B Ryan Zimmerman

4. LF Michael Morse

5. RF Jayson Werth

6. 1B Adam LaRoche

7. C Wilson Ramos

8. CF Roger Bernadina

Starting Rotation:

1. RHP Stephen Strasburg

2. LHP Gio Gonzalez

3. RHP Jordan Zimmerman

4. RHP Edwin Jackson

5. LHP John Lannan

Bullpen:

CL RHP Drew Storen

SU RHP Tyler Clippard

RP RHP Brad Lidge

RP LHP Sean Burnett

RP RHP Henry Rodriguez

RP RHP Chad Durbin

RP LHP Tom Gorzelanny

2012 Season Outlook

With the moves that the Washington front office made this winter in acquiring pitchers like Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson, locking up Ryan Zimmerman for the rest of the decade, they have shown the rest of the National League East that they’re building a contender for the next few years. However, there are still some question marks that this roster must answer in 2012. On the pitching side, even

though Strasburg, Gonzalez, Zimmerman, and Jackson have plenty of talent, each has something to prove this year to show that they belong. Will Washington let Strasburg go over his innings limit? Will Gonzalez control his walks? Can Zimmerman play up to his potential? Can Jackson prove that he’s worth a multi-year investment? These are all burning questions that these hurlers are going to have the opportunity to answer with authority if they want to.

Offensively, there are a few questions there as well. Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche dealt with some injuries last year, Jayson Werth needs to show that he was worth his contract, Ian Desmond needs to prove that he can handle hitting in the leadoff spot, and everyone wants to see how Michael Morse follows up his stellar 2011 season. These are a heck of a lot of questions for this team to answer, but I do think that they will be a force in the NL East this year. Their pitching staff is young, but Edwin Jackson and Brad Lidge bring a calming veteran presence, and LaRoche can do the same thing for the position players.

Contrary to some, I think the Nationals had the best offseason out of any team, especially when looking to 2012 and beyond. They will perform better than the Marlins will this year and if they play to their potential, 85-90 wins and being in contention for a Wild Card spot is a possibility for them.

2012 Prospect to Watch

I mean, come on, did you really think the top prospect in Washington wouldn’t be Bryce Harper? The overall first pick in the 2010

amateur draft will only be 19 years old this season, but it seems that he’s been ready for the big stage for some time now. In his first stop in 2011, he tore up opposing pitching with a .318 average, 14 home runs, and 46 RBI in 258 at-bats. After he was promoted to Double-A, he did struggle a bit, but did make a nice comeback before a hamstring injury shut him down. He was in Big League camp this spring, and even though he was just optioned to Triple-A, he has received the VIP treatment. He’s got great power, didn’t strike out very much, and showed his ability to get on base and make things happen.

Harper is by far one of the biggest keys for this Nationals offense in my eyes. Adam LaRoche will be manning first base for Washington, which forces Michael Morse back to the outfield. However, if LaRoche gets injured again or struggles out of the gate, I wouldn’t be surprised is Harper slides into the left field spot, moving Morse back to first. Harper can make the Nats’ line-up more dynamic with his left-handed bat. The biggest question is not if he will make it to the Show this year, but when.

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