Washington Nationals Trade Deadline Preview

By Ron Juckett | Jun 16, 2016

Jun 15, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Jayson Werth (28) celebrates with Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) after hitting the game-winning single against the Chicago Cubs in the twelfth inning at Nationals Park. The Nationals won 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

2 of 6

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

OFFENSE

Five Nationals hitters are into double-digits in home runs. With 87, the team leads the NL. Bryce Harper has 13 himself. When they make contact, the ball flies.

If they did a better job making contact. With a team slash line of .251/.324/.426, Washington is on the bottom-tier getting on base. The batting average is eighth in the NL while the on-base percentage is ninth. Slugging percentage, however, is fourth. Their 299 runs rank fifth in the league.

Nothing about those numbers should worry anybody. Outside of Michael Taylor, who is finding his way in center field, no one is struggling, but no one out outside Ramos and Daniel Murphy is raking the ball. Since coming over from the Mets, Murphy is hitting .361 and carries an Adjusted OPS+ of 162. If you are worried about the slumping Harper, those 54 walks still show his OBP at .409 and OPS+ at 141. (Yes kids, walks and sabermetrics are good friends.)

With Chris Heisey and Stephen Drew producing off the bench and Ben Revere patrolling the outfield, they fit the rest of the offensive puzzle well.

As a team, despite the lower ranking, they are a solid core of veterans and youth.

Next: What about the rotation?

Home/Washington Nationals