The Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals made some very smart moves this off season. Those moves may have a very significant impact in the 2014 season. One big move they made was acquiring starting pitcher Doug Fister to add to an already steady rotation.

They added to their lineup by getting outfielder Nate McLouth to come in off the bench and play left field when needed. The two important parts to the Nationals' lineup are Ryan Zimmerman and Bryce Harper. In 2014 they will be healthy and ready to drive in some runs. Second base may be a battle between Anthony Rendon and Danny Espinosa, because of Rendon's high expectations and Espinosa's recent struggles. The following is how the Nationals' lineup should look in 2014.

1. L. Denard Span         CF 94 OPS+
2. R. Jayson Werth        LF 154 OPS+
3. L. Bryce Harper        RF 133 OPS+
4. R. Ryan Zimmerman  3B 121 OPS+
5. L. Adam Laroche      1B 102 OPS+
6. R. Ian Desmond         SS 114 OPS+
7. R. Anthony Rendon    2B 99 OPS+
8. R. Wilson Ramos         C 111 OPS+

Bryce Harper and Stephan Strasburg 

The Nationals not only have one of the best lineups in the Major Leagues, they also have one of the best starting rotations. They departed with Dan Haren who pitched under a one year deal in Washington and performed terribly, and replaced him with Doug Fister. Anchored by once phenom, but now veteran Stephan Strasburg and followed by southpaw Gio Gonzalez and studs Jordan Zimmerman and now Doug Fister, the Nationals are in a very good position. Here is how the pitching rotation for the Nationals looks.

1. R. Stephen Strasburg   126 ERA+
2. L. Gio Gonzalez           113 ERA+
3. R. Jordan Zimmerman  116 ERA+
4. R. Doug Fister             115 ERA+
5. L. Ross Detwiler            94 ERA+

The bullpen for the Nationals is pretty solid in the late innings. Pitching the 7th inning is one time closer Drew Storen, pitching the 8th inning is strikeout prodigy Tyler Clippard, and closing games out is the emotionless Rafael Soriano. The Nationals do not have a good lefty in their bullpen besides a few young guns and veteran Jerry Blevins. If they were to make another move this off season they should get a lefty specialist. The other important part to the Nationals pen is Craig Stammen who makes his money pitching the middle innings.
 

Trades, Free Agent Signings, Non Tneders, and More!

Yesterday was a very busy day in baseball as many players found new homes. Two trades went through yesterday and several players signed with new teams and re-signed with their same teams.

Jim Johnson

The biggest news was the trade between the Athletics and Orioles. Closer Jim Johnson has a 2.70 ERA over the past 3 seasons and has 101 saves over the past 2 seasons. Jemile  Weeks is the younger brother to Ricky Weeks, and has not found much success at the Major League level besides his rookie year. Weeks is set to compete for a spot at second base. These two players were exchanged for one another strait up. Johnson is going to replace closer Grant Balfour, and Johnson is projected to earn $10 Million or more in arbitration. The Orioles are trying to land a starting pitcher and by freeing up salary they may be on the verge of making a splash.

Doug Fister

The other big trade was between the Washington Nationals and the Detroit Tigers. The Nationals acquired starting pitcher Doug Fister who featured a respected 3.30ERA over the past 3 seasons and a 3.67 ERA in 2013. In exchange for Fister the Tigers pitching prospect Robbie Ray, infielder Steve Lomardozzi, and left handed reliever Ian Krol. Fister will be a definite improvement over Dan Haren who signed with the Dodgers as a free agent who featured a 3.97 ERA in the past 3 seasons and a 4.67 ERA in 2013. Fister will join a rotation with Stephan Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman, and a 5th starter.

Also last night the Red Sox signed free agent catcher AJ Pierzynski to a 1 year deal with $8.25 Million guaranteed. Pierzynski played for the Texas Rangers in 2013 posting a .272/.297/.425 slashline with 17 home runs in 134 games. The Red Sox were preparing for the departure of Jarrod Saltalamacchia who  posted a .273/.338/.446 slashline with 14 home runs in 121 games.
It appears the Red Sox have taken a down grade at the catcher's position especially with Pierzynski's age.

Phil Hughes

Phil Hughes has a 4.54 career ERA, but a 95 career ERA+. The reason for having an ERA+ around average with a high ERA is the ballpark factor. Hughes has pitched most of his games in Yankee Stadium, one of the smallest ballparks in the league. Hughes signed a 3 year $24 Million deal with Minnesota Twins. The deal also includes bonuses up to $1 Million a year based on the amount of innings pitched. As Hughes moves to the spacious Target Field his ERA will drop dramatically. If his ERA+ is any indication of the type of pitcher he is, his ERA may drop to around 3.70.

After several successful seasons early in his career Scott Kazmir has fell of quite a bit. Its weird to think Kazmir will only be 30 in January, but he has been around around for 9 seasons. Kazmir hasn't found much success in recent years, but he signed a 2 year $22 Million deal with the Oakland Athletics. This deal is probably the reason why Brett Anderson is now available for trade.

The Blue Jays signed catcher Dioner Navarro to a 2 year $8 Million that will pay $3 Million in the first season and $5 Million in the second season. This move made JP Arencibia become non-tendered and become a free agent. Navarro played 89 games with the Chicago Cubs and posted a 132 OPS+ , very good for a catcher, and he is a defensive upgrade over Arencibia in my opinion.

Joe Nathan

Being announced a little more than an hour ago was the signing of closer Joe Nathan. Nathan signed a 2 year deal with the Detroit Tigers. The salary in the deal hasn't been made official yet, but this is a good deal for the Tigers. With the failures of Jose Valverde and the shakiness of the closer position last season, the Tigers needed a stud for the ninth inning. Nathan posted 2 stellar seasons with the Texas Rangers by collecting 80 saves with a 2.09 ERA.

On smaller notes, the Rays have traded for catcher Ryan Hannigan, the Giants re-signed starter Ryan Vogelsong to a 1 year $5 Million deal, the Mariners signed Willie Bloomquist, and the Rays re-signed  reliever Juan Oviedo.

Several players were non tendered yesterday as it was the non tender deadline. When a player gets non tendered it means that the team will not be tendering a contract to that player, because they believe they will be too expensive through arbitation, so the team allows them to become a free agent. Some of the important players that were non tendered yesterday are J.P. Arencibia, John Axford, Andrew Bailey, Ronald Belisario, Chris Coghlan, Chris Getz,Tommy Hanson, Jeremy Hefner, Daniel Hudson, Jayson Nix, Xavier Paul, Omar Quintanilla  Sandy Rosario, Ryan Webb, Jerome Williams, and Wesley Wright. These players are now allowed to sign with any team that offers them a contract. 

The Birds and the ... Nats?

The Orioles and the Nationals made it to the post season last season. Both clubs were underdogs entering 2012, but now in 2013 they are regarded as strong contenders for their respected divisions.

The Orioles showed that they can compete with the Rays, Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays in the American League East. They will again have to prove that they are fit to compete in 2013.

The offense for the Orioles is stronger than most, but not the strongest. The big bat is the face of their franchise, Adam Jones. He along with Chris Davis, Matt Weiters, and J.J. Hardy provide the power that propels the team to victory We can't forget about 2013 Rookie of the Year favorite Manny Machado who came onto the scene in mid 2012, he will be key to the success of the Orioles. Here is how their lineup will look in 2013.

1. S. Roberts 2B *105 OPS+ *2010 stats
2. L. Markakis RF 126 OPS+
3. R. Jones CF 125 OPS+
4. L. Davis 1B 121 OPS+
5 S. Wieters C 107 OPS+
6. R. Hardy SS 88 OPS+
7. R. Machado 3B 98 OPS+
8. L. McLouth LF 90 OPS+
9. R. Riemold DH *111 OPS+ *2011 stats

The pitching rotation for the Orioles is unproven and for the most part young. The only guys who have a given spot in the rotation for 2013 are Wei Yu Chen and Jason Hammel. Tommy Hunter, Dylan Bundy, Zach Britton, and Jair Jurjjens all have to work to earn a spot onto the club.

The bullpen for the Orioles was probably their biggest strength in 2012. Jim Johnson held down the back end and closed the door all season for the O's. Ayala set up very well and maintained a low era as he did in seasons previous. It seems as if the Orioles will have the strategy as they did last year: Just get outs.

I project 89 wins for the Orioles in 2013.

The Nationals won the National League East and shocked everyone with their large spread of young talent. They added some big names and are on a quest to win it all 2013.

The Nationals have a beautiful assortment of young players and veterans in their lineup. For the younf player, phenom Bryce Harper will man left field while Espinosa and Desmond will play the middle infield. The Nationals traded Michael Morse, but they have decent production from every position. Lets look at the lineup.

1. L. Span CF            105 OPS+
2. R. Desmond SS     126 OPS+
3. L. Harper LF         119 OPS+
4. R. Zimmerman 3B  121 OPS+
5. L. LaRoche 1B      128 OPS+
6. R. Werth RF          125 OPS+
7. S. Espinosa 2B       94 OPS+
8. R. Ramos C           105 OPS+

Unlike the Orioles the pitching rotation for the Nationals is almost set in stone. There will be no innings limit on Stephen Strasburg and the newly acquired Dan Haren will be a great veteran presence. Here is how the rotation shapes up:

1. R. Stephen Strasburg  3.16 ERA
2. L. Gio Gonzalez          2.89 ERA
3. R. Jordan Zimmerman 2.94 ERA
4. R. Dan Haren              4.33 ERA
5. L. Ross Detwiler         3.40 ERA

The bullpen for the Nationals has a new look to it as well. Rafael Soriano will take over as closer after a fantastic season with the Yankees, Drew Storen will become a setup man, and Tyler Clippard will remain to dominate in the late innings. The Nationals have a great bullpen, but no great left handed reliever, they should consider trading for one if they want to fix their only hole.

I project 96 wins for the Nationals in 2013.

But Wait! There's More!

This season has been nothing less than amazing. So many great stories, historic events, fantastic games, and breakout seasons. The season is not over yet, the play offs need to be played.

Speaking of the playoffs, if you told me the Athletics would win the American League West, beating both the Rangers and the Angels I would call you crazy. Yesterday the Athletics beat the Rangers to complete a sweep and end the season on a high note. The reason why they won the AL West is because everyone said they couldn't. Congratulations to the Athletics on a successful season.

R.A. Dickey was a fantastic story this year. The 37 year old knuckleballer pitched his way to a Cy Young quality season. He admitted after his last start that he has been pitching the entire season injured. Yup, he dominated the National League with a strained abdominal muscle. He said he'll have surgery in October.

The Orioles made it back to the post season for the first time since 1997. The Orioles under Buck Showalter are a different ball club. They hustle, they play hard, and they win. The Orioles will play the Rangers in Texas in the wild card game to earn the right to play the Yankees in the ALDS.

Adam Greenberg was hit in the head during his first at bat with the Cubs in 2005. Ever since that day Greenberg would never get another at bat at the Major League level. He played in the independent league for a while, until a movement started to get him just one more at bat. The Marlins took on the task and signed him to a one day contract. In his one at bat, he faced the  toughest pitcher in the National League, R.A. Dickey. In his only at bat Greenberg struck out on three pitches. Dickey said after the game that part of the experience for Greenberg was for Dickey to treat Greenberg like any other Major League player. At least Greenberg finally got his at bat.

The Nationals are in the post season with the best record in the National League. With the best pitching staff in the Major Leagues they dominated the Major Leagues and dominated the opposition. With help from Bryce Harper and Adam Laroche the Nationals were a well rounded team that could be anyone. They will test their young roster in the NLDS playing the winner of the wild card game. Also on the last game of the season Teddy Roosevelt won his first ever race in DC.

This season there were some huge trades. Ichiro went to the Yankees, Youkilis went to the White Sox, Ramirez went to the Dodgers, Dempster went to the Rangers, Pence went to the Giants, Victorino went to the Dodgers and of course the biggest trade of the season Gonzalez, Beckett, Crawford, and Punto going to the Dodgers.

Chipper Jones announced that this would be his last season and will retire after the season. He is one of the most loved players in the Major Leagues and his opponents made it noticed. Where ever he went this season the opposing team gave him something to depart with. Chipper will be put to the test in the wild card game against the Cardinals.

There were 7 no hitters this season, tying the all time high for a single season. Phillip Humber, Jered Weaver, Homer Bailey, Matt Cain, Felix Hernandez, Johan Santana, and a combined no hitter by the Seattle Mariners. Pitching really did have the upper hand in 2012.

There were several rookies who came on the scene this season. Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, Manny Machado, Yoennis Cespedes, Yu Darvish, Todd Fraizer, Jesus Montero, Matt Moore, Brett Lawrie, Matt Harvey, Trevor Bauer, and Quintin Berry are rookies who had a major effect on their teams this season.

Finally Miguel Cabrera made a mockery out of the opposing pitching by winning the first triple crown since  Carl Yastrzemski did it in 1967. Cabrera had 44 home runs, a .330 batting average, and 139 RBI's. It was a historic season for Cabrera and he led the Tigers down the stretch to win the AL Central.

Flying Under the Radar

In a rotation with Stephan Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez it is easy to look over Jordan Zimmerman. National fans know that he is just as important as the previously mentioned starters. Strasburg has a 2.66 ERA, 10 wins, and 135 strikeouts in 2012. Gonzalez has 2.93 ERA, 12 wins, and 127 strikeouts. Zimmerman has a shockingly low 2.35 ERA, 7 wins, and 84 strikeouts.

Zimmerman is 26 years old and has been on the Nationals since 2009. In 2011 Zimmerman flashed what he could do with a 3.18 ERA over 161 innings. Zimmerman won't blow you away with his fastball or strike you out with his curve ball, but he will get you out. It doesn't matter how you get the guy out as long as he is out. He not only has the lowest ERA on the Nationals but also has the most innings pitched with 122.1.

Zimmerman is just icing on the cake for the Nationals. They have the best pitching rotation in all of baseball. Strasburg, Gonzalez, Zimmerman, Detwiler*, and Jackson sums up to be a dangerous combination of both the ability to go far into the game and being dominant throughout. These 5 guys combine for a 2.97 ERA over 527 innings pitched.

*Some of Detwiler's work was done out of the bullpen.

Bryce Harper and Albert Pujols

Bryce Harper is the most hyped prospect possibly of all time. He is just 19 years old. We all expected him to be good, but not this good. Harper has played in 8 games at the Major League level and has already reached super star status in the Washington DC area. In 28 at bats Harper has 8 hits and 3 RBI's. Harper has also drawn 5 walks and scored 3 runs. 5 doubles also are marked on Harper's baseball card, but probably the most significant event in his young career was an eventful steal of home. The link to the video is the following: HARPER'S STEAL.

Lets go from a 19 year old rookie outfielder to a 32 year old veteran first baseman. Albert Pujols hit his first home run of the season yesterday. After 112 at bats Pujols has 7 RBI's and just 22 hits. Accompany that with 10 runs scored and .196/.237/.295 slash line. Alex Rodriguez a hitter notorious for hitting home runs commented on the situation stating that once Pujols hits one home run he will then hit 5 or 6 more soon after. Home runs come in clusters. The home run is the following link: PUJOLS' HOMER

Vote in the poll on the side of this post. Who will hit more home runs this year: Harper or Pujols.

The Washington Nationals

In 2011 The Nationals had an improvement from the 2010 season. In 2011 The Nationals won 11 more games than the previous season, giving them a total of 80 for the 2011 season. The Nationals made a lot of noise in the 2011-2012 off season and definitely capitalized.

The Nationals added two new starting pitchers to their staff to give them one of the best in baseball. The 2012 starting rotation for The Nationals is going to look a little bit like this:

Using 2011 Statistics

*Stephen Strasburg(23) : 2.54 ERA
Gio Gonzalez (26) : 3.12 ERA
Jordan Zimmerman (25) : 3.18 ERA
Edwin Jackson (28) : 3.79
Ross Detwiler(26)/Chien-Ming Wang(32) : 3.00 ERA/ 4.04 ERA

* Combination of 2010 and 2011 ERA

The starting rotation is looking good, with Tyler Clippard, Sean Burnett and Brad Lidge anchoring the back of the bullpen, The Nationals' overall pitching is looking good. Clippard Posted a 1.83 ERA making him one of the best set up men in baseball. He has a high number of strikeouts and has a high RPC(Hayes Craze Stat.)

The Nationals started off the 2011 season without Adam Dunn, which proved to be a good thing, because Dunn would have one of the worst seasons ever. Instead The Nationals pulled through with their big sluggers. Mike Morse and Ryan Zimmerman. If these two players replicate the seasons they put up in 2011 and stay healthy, the rest of the NL East should watch out. If Jayson Werth, Danny Espinosa, and Bryce Harper can do well in 2012 The Nationals may be the wild card winners or even the winners of the NL East.

Lets not forget the two top prospects The Nationals drafted and signed in the 2011 draft, Anthony Rendon and Mathew Purke. Both of these two guys are very promising and may be just another reason not to under rate The Washington Nationals in years to come.