The Washington Nationals are expecting to have two of their biggest stars ready for next spring.
On Thursday, FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi relayed comments from agent Scott Boras regarding the health of Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals. Both dealt with injuries during the 2016 season, and there was some question as to whether they would be ready for the start of spring training. Boras said Strasburg should “have a normal throwing schedule this offseason and be ready for spring training.” Boras also confirmed that Bryce Harper was playing through injuries this season, but he “is on track to begin normal offseason strength and conditioning soon.”
Strasburg was shut down by the Nationals in early September following a strained flexor mass in his elbow. Prior to that he was 15-4 with a 3.60 ERA (2.92 FIP). This wasn’t the first time he’s had to sit out a Nationals playoff run. In 2012 the team famously shut Strasburg down for precautionary reasons because he was coming off of Tommy John surgery. Since 2013 he has started at least 23 games per season. That number culminated with 34 starts in 2014.
Throughout the 2016 season Harper’s health was a debated issue. As he “struggled” in comparison to his historic 2015 numbers, many wondered if he could be playing through an injury. Harper still hit .243/.373/.441 with 24 HR and a 116 OPS+ which would be a solid season for some. However, those numbers were a far cry from his 2015 statistics (.330/.460/.649 with 42 HR and a 198 OPS+).
In August, Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated reported that Harper was playing through a shoulder injury. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post noted that while the Nationals denied this report, Harper was unwilling to do so. Harper’s regression supports the theory that something was off in 2016. Boras also suggested pitchers changed their strategy against Harper which affected his production.
The Nationals offense checked in at just below average this season by FanGraphs’ wRC+ statistic (97). While Harper’s diminished production hurt the team, they were supported by a career season from newly acquired Daniel Murphy. Washington’s starting rotation finished 2016 with the second best ERA in baseball (3.60), but the absence of Strasburg was felt in the playoffs.
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In the past five years the Washington Nationals have reached the postseason three times. However, they still haven’t won a playoff series. A fully healthy Strasburg and Harper would go a long way toward helping this team reach its ultimate goal of a World Series championship.