Previewing Washington Nationals 2017 Season
Last season ended in disappointing fashion for the Nationals as they lost in a tough and hard fought series against the Dodgers in the National League Division Series, but that loss wasn’t a collapse like they have been acquainted with the last two times in the postseason. It was encouraging as this team looked more poised to be more consistent and would be a better team. This Nationals squad is better and more experienced as the average age on this roster is 30. Lets take a look at the the team.
Pitchers
Joe Blanton
Shawn Kelley
Koda Glover
Tanner Roark
Max Scherzer
Blake Treinen
Stephen Strasburg
Gio Gonzalez
Oliver Perez
Enny Romero
Sammy Solis
The team will start with four starting pitchers which seems like an interesting concept. Nevertheless, their rotation is outstanding. Scherzer is their ace and is one of the best pitchers in the league. Strasburg had an outstanding season in 2016, but was hurt for some of it. Roark broke out again in 2016 proving that he is becoming one of the best. Gonzalez is not as good as he used to be, but he has been solid. The bullpen is the only concern as they don’t have a distinguished closer. Blanton was outstanding with the Dodgers last season as he was valuable to their bullpen and looks to be that way for the nationals. Solis, Perez, Treinen, and Kelley were all very good last season and will all probably get looks at nailing down saves. The same goes for Glover who will be a rookie and he did look good in his limited time last year. Romero is highly regarded especially how he throws lots of gas.
Catchers
Jose Lobaton
Matt Wieters
Wieters will have to replace the production of Wilson Ramos, but what he does that Ramos doesn’t is hit from both sides of the plate. The Nationals should be fine with Wieters in the lineup. Lobaton is a very good backup as he also is a switch hitter.
Infielders
Wilmer Difo
Stephen Drew
Adam Lind
Daniel Murphy
Anthony Rendon
Trea Turner
Ryan Zimmerman
Difo will likely be a utility infielder and will be utilized a lot for his speed. The same will be said about Drew except his defense is exceptional. Lind will be replacing Clint Robinson and that is an upgrade as Lind is a better hitter. Murphy had an MVP like season in 2016 and will look to replicate that. Rendon had a bounceback year after missing a chunk in 2015, but when he is in the lineup, he is a valuable piece. Turner will be the new starting shortstop and looks build on his promise of being on of the up and coming stars. Zimmerman is not quite like the player he used to be, but he is still a good enough player to do some damage and play good defense.
Outfielders
Adam Eaton
Bryce Harper
Chris Heisey
Michael Taylor
Jayson Werth
Eaton comes over to become the new centerfielder as he is one of the most dynamic players in the game. Harper is hands down the best hitter in the league, but he had a down 2016. If he can prove thar 2016 was a fluke then the Nationals instantly become better. Heisey was a nice power source off the bench in 2016 as he hit a few key homers. Taylor will try to prove that he is a good player, but he has been a disappointment thus far. Werth is aging, but he does provide some quality offensive tools that are still valuable to this club including his abiltiy to get on base.
This team is better than the one that played in the postseason, but the National League will be very tough hill to climb with teams like the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, and New York Mets will also be looking to win the pennant. However, if the Nationals can keep healthy and consistent, anything is possible and a pennant is a realistic possibility. For now, they just need to take care of business in the regular season. They are the favorites to win the NL East and this is very likely.
