The NL East: Washington Nationals

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We all knew when Stephen Strasburg had to be pulled from a start last season, things were not going according to plan for the Washington Nationals. Their "money ticket" would have to go under the knife for Tommy John surgery and miss the remainder of 2010 and most, if not all, of 2011. So where do you turn after that?

The answer isn't (and wasn't) 2010's #1 overall pick, Bruce Harper. He's already been sent to minor league camp and will begin 2011 in Hargarstown, a Single-A affiliaite. The answer isn't really megabuck right fielder Jayson Werth. The closest answer would have been (possibly) Ryan Zimmerman. Wait. He was just shut down for a period of time as well.

The Nats also lost first baseman and one of the club's veteran leaders in Adam Dunn. They also traded Josh Willingham to the Oakland A's. So what do the Nats have. Believe it or not, they still have talent. A lot of it is young and unproven, but there could be a couple future All-Stars already on the roster.

But the one person I now think of is behind the plate in catcher Ivan Rodriguez. The future Hall of Famer is the veteran spokesman of the team. He's earned that even though he's only donned a Nationals uni (when it's spelled correctly) for going on his second season. He does command that much respect. He should, too. Imagine being a pitcher and looking in for a sign from Pudge. Has to be a calming influence.

The infield won't look too different than last season except at first which was occupied by Dunn. Those duties now fall to free agent acquisition Adam LaRoche. A trade off? Maybe, maybe not. LaRoche may be a tick better with the leather, but Dunn held a tick more power.

Zimmerman will hold down third once he recovers. He is one of the faces of the organization.

The middle of the infield has two young and exciting players in second baseman Danny Espinosa and shortstop Ian Desmond.

Espinosa played at three levels last season including the Nats. Pretty quick movement. Espinosa did struggle with the stick in his 28 MLB games in regards to his average. He's usually around .263 in that regard. But the 23 year old has some nice pop in his bat. He did manage 6 HR during his stint in D.C. last year. His previous two minor league seasons, he's averaged more than 20 HR.


And we also have Desmond. His 2010 season was right about what had been expected from him offensively. 10 HR, 65 RBI and splits of .269/.309/.415. You would like to see that OBP a little higher because Desmond can and will swipe a bag. He accounted for 17 steals last yaer. The glove is a bit different. Desmond led all NL SS in errors (yes, more than Starlin Castro) with 34, but he did post the 4th most assists. That tells me the kid's got range.

The outfield, despite trading Willingham, may be better. There's a battle ensuing for the left field job. Roger Bernadina and Mike Morse are duking that out as we speak. Morse has had a magnificent spring. Bernadina hasn't been bad either. Keep on eye on this for another reason. If Morse sticks, the Nats could move Bernadina to center.

And that could mean that the incumbent, Nyjer Morgan, may be riding the pine a bit. Bernadina is a little stronger with the bat. Morgan can cover an insane amount of ground. Depends on what the Nats brass would rather have in the starting 8. Any direction they go, they're not in a bad situation. Morse and Bernadina have power. Morgan and Bernadina have speed.

All that leads to Werth. He has power, speed, and an arm. Was he worth (had to do it) all that dough? No, but he can help right the ship. He's got the experience that that Nationals sorely need.

The one area where the Nationals are weak is starting pitching. Even if Strasburg were ready to go, he would be the only hurler that could place a bit of fear in any opponent. The man at the top of the staff is Livan Hernandez. He will eat innings. He will give evey ounce of energy he has. He will hit, too. One thing manager Jim Riggleman can guarantee is that Hernandez will take the ball when called.

After that, you have Jason Marquis and Jordan Zimmermann. Marquis missed most of 2010 and Zimmermann returned last season after undergoing Tommy John and missing a lot of '09 and '10. Then, it's Tom Gorzelanny and John Lannan. Told you it was not an imposing staff.

The bullpen may be a bit better. There are some nice young arms out there. The closer's role has fallen into the arms of Drew Storen. The setup role could fall to Tyler Clippard. There's lefty specialist Doug Slaton and Sean Burnett can also throw the ball well. Storen (2009) and Burnett (2000) are former first round choices. Burnett was tabbed by the Pirates. Storen was the Nats 2nd first round pick in '09 after they had taken Strasburg #1 overall.

I look for the pen to provide a tad of stability. I know they're young, but can those young guys throw. Clippard may be the best among them.

If you're waiting for me to sat the Nationals will not inhabit the cellar in this division, you're wrong. The distance between the Nats and, say, the Mets is growing significant smaller. If the Nats were to finish fourth, I would not be overly surprised. The starting staff will have a major say in this team's finish.