2009 Washington Nationals Predictions
Written by Jason Lowry
The Washington Nationals might have suffered one of the worst seasons the franchise has ever seen, going just 59-102 last season, but the signs are starting to point in the right direction. The Nationals landed one of the prime free agents in slugger Adam Dunn. Washington also picked up pitching help in starters Scott Olsen and Daniel Cabrera, and got some outfield help with the addition of Josh Willingham from the Marlins. The Nationals’ only significant loss was starting pitcher Tim Redding, so while it might be unrealistic to think this team can compete with the top dogs in the NL East, we have a good feeling this team is going to improve from last season. Here is a closer look at the 2009 Washington Nationals, and some of the key components to their upcoming season.
Offense:
Dunn is expect to play first base for the Nationals, and his power is going to make a huge difference in this team. They were dead last in the league with a .373 team slugging percentage in 2008. He will be joined by Ryan Zimmerman in the middle of this lineup, and this team would like to see the Zimmerman of the 2006 season who drove in 110 runs, and not the guy who drove in just 51 last year. It looks as though late season call up Anderson Hernandez will get the starting job at second base after hitting .333 in 28 games last year, and he will be teamed with Cristian Guzman at the top of this order, who is coming off an all-star season hitting .316. With catcher Jesus Flores a lock at the No.8 spot in the lineup, the 5-7 spots will be held down by outfielders Lasting Milledge, Josh Willingham, and Elijah Dukes. All 3 of these outfielders have huge potential, and if 2 of these 3 guys have big seasons, this offense is going to be tough for opposing pitchers.
Pitching:
The Nationals pitching staff was simply not good in 2008, as they posted one of the worst ERA’s in the league at 4.66. The bullpen wasn’t much better, blowing half of its save opportunities. Redding was the only Nationals pitcher to win 10 games in 2008, and with him gone there are a ton of question marks surrounding the starting rotation. At the top of the rotation is likely John Lannan and Scott Olson, and many are still waiting for these two to live up to their potential, as they combined to go just 17-26 in 2008. The Nationals are hoping they can get a much better performance from Daniel Cabrera, who could be a solid No. 3 starter if he can return anywhere near the form of his rookie season in 2004, where he went 12-8. Shawn Hill is expected to be in the rotation as the No. 4 starter, but the No.5 spot is up for grabs. Candidates for the final spot in the starting rotation could wind up going to a top prospect such as Colin Balester, Shairon Martis, or Jordan Zimmerman, but don’t count out last year’s opening day starter Odalis Perez. Joel Hanrahan had the best season of any reliever for this team, and after converting 9 of 13 save opportunities in 2008, he is likely the opening day closer. Behind him in the main set-up role is Saul Rivera, but a number of players need to step up in 2009, as this team can’t afford to blow games like it did in 2008.
Prediction: 5th in NL East
The Nationals are headed in the right direction, but they are still no where near the level of play of the rest of the teams in this division. We actually look for this team to improve by 10-15 wins, but that will still keep them at the bottom of the NL East.
Archived Season Previews:
Individual MLB Team Previews:
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