The Nationals are in uncharted waters this year.
A team that since it has been back in Washington, D.C. has been in the basement of the National League East and at certain points have been the laughing stock of baseball. When current General Manager Mike Rizzo was hired back in 2009 he promised that there was a plan in place and that in a few short years the Nats' would not only be a relevant franchise but would also be contending for the National League East crown.
At the time it seemed like a ludicrous statement when you are in the same division with the World Series champions (Phillies) and the New York Mets (before the Bernie Madoff mess). Well, three short years later Rizzo turned out to be Nostradamus in predicting the future of his team who as of May 22nd sit a half game behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East.
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The question moving forward is can this young, inexperienced team make a serious run to win the division or at the least make the playoffs via one of the wildcard spots?
Why the Nats' can and will win this year
A common phase that is often used in baseball is that pitching wins championships. If that's the case then you have a lot to be excited about in Washington, who for most if not all season have ranked first in team ERA lead by staff ace Steven Strasburg, who ranks in the top 10 in strikeouts and ERA.
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Another key piece is Gio Gonzalez, who the Nats' traded for in the off season and gave up a hefty price to get him but so far he has delivered and in my eyes is at the top of the list for the Cy Young award in the National League. Another thing that could help the Nats' this years is the adding of another wildcard spot for the playoffs this year. We've seen time and time again with baseball that it's not about how you get into the playoffs but rather just get in and anything can happen. Just having the best record does not promise anything, in four of the last five years the team with the best record has not won the World Series.
Why the Nats' won't win this year
Having Strasburg this year is both a gift and a curse. We know about all the good stuff he has and how at such a young age he can dominate a game and having that type of pitcher pitching in any payoff series is dangerous but when your ace is coming back from Tommy John surgery and on an innings limit (as he is being shut down after 160 innings) well it's sort of like going out to a five-star restaurant and only ordering the appetizer.
If the season plays out then Strasburg will for-fill that innings limit around mid to end of August and losing that type of talent will definitely hurt you in the short term. Another strike against this years Nats is their line-up. Although they are having a career year from first baseman Adam LaRoche, but there is not much around him. Injuries to key players such as Jayson Werth, Michael Morse and Wilson Ramos have really hurt this team and the underperformance from Ryan Zimmerman and Danny Espinosa has also hurt.
In closing there is a lot of baseball to be played and a lot of things can happen both good and bad, but the bottom line is this Nationals team seems to be headed in the right direction. Does that direction lead to the playoffs? Only time will tell...
