It’s all about… Nattitude! The Washington Nationals had the best record in the National League during the regular season. There were players that made 2014 an unforgettable season for the Nats. With the help of those players, Washington was able to cruise into the playoffs, though their run was short and sweet. The Nationals have a few free agents that may significantly change their 2015 season, but with the right help, they could make 2015 just as successful. If there’s one team that deserves success, it’d be the Nats.
Covering the Bases: Washington Nationals Off-Season
The Nats got off to a lackluster start in 2014. Entering the month of June, they were 26-27. An under-performing May, like many teams, had them sputtering. The calendar flipped pages, and the Nationals took off. During the second half, Washington really caught fire. In both August and September, they reached 19 wins, and by September 16th, they had earned a spot in the postseason. To cap things off, on the last day of the season, Jordan Zimmerman made Nationals history as he whirled the organization’s first no-hitter.
It wasn’t just the last day of the regular season that Jordan Zimmermann discovered just how much talent he had. His success had festered all season. Zimmermann played a vital role in the high-achieving season with his 14-5 record, and 2.66 ERA. In fact, the starting rotation as a whole boosted the team from our nation’s capital into the playoffs. Doug Fister (2.41 ERA), Tanner Roark (2.85 ERA), and Stephen Strasburg (3.14 ERA) were a deadly threat on a team who had the best pitching staff (on paper) in the major leagues. Denard Span (.302), Jayson Werth (.292), and Anthony Rendon (.287) backed a superior pitching staff with all of the runs they needed in order to get by. Bryce Harper had a bit of a roller-coaster season, but its easy to forget that he just turned 22 years old in October.
In the regular season, the Nationals seemed to be a well-oiled machine. October came along, and everything came to a screeching halt. Hitters stopped hitting, their strong bullpen suddenly wasn’t so strong anymore. The total score through four games was 6-4, so the Giants weren’t hitting either. The Nats had one opportunity for a save, and well they blew that too. Away went all of their hard work. Away went any chance of them becoming World Champs.
If you’re a Nationals fan, you’re probably thinking, “My goodness. You’re a negative creature, aren’t you?” Let me just say that the Nats had a FANTASTIC season. That being said, the probability of repeating in 2015 is very likely. The only significant losses are Adam LaRoche and Rafael Soriano. LaRoche is where a good chunk of the team’s power came from, he led the team in home runs (26) in 2014. Soriano had a bit of a rough go at it at the beginning of September, but there are guys, like Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard, that are capable of filling Soriano’s shoes.
The rest of the National free agents are Koyie Hill, Nate Schierholtz, Greg Dobbs, Ross Ohlendorf, Kevin Frandsen, Ryan Mattheus, Scott Hairston, and Asdrubal Cabrera. Nate Schierhotlz and Scott Hairston were backups, and filled in when Bryce Harper went down with a thumb injury. Kevin Frandsen saw significant time at third base, but the team is looking to go with Anthony Rendon at third base this year. Ryan Mattheus saw very little time with the team. He pitched in just seven games while yielding a 1.04 ERA.
Asdrubal Cabrera came over in a mid-season trade, and made little difference, if any. Cabrera slashed .229/.312/.389 and hit five home runs. The Nats are good on middle-infielders, so there is no significant loss there.
From what I’ve seen, the Nationals have gained a huge following in the last couple of years. People like good teams, and the Nats are it. In the last ten years, the transformation of this organization has been remarkable. What was once a very strong Montreal Expos fan-base, then turned Washington Senators, now Washington Nationals is starting to see some of their fans migrate back. They went from averaging right around 22,500 fans in 2010 to averaging almost 32,000 people in 2014. D.C looks to have a bright future in years to come.
People like a winner. Even though they didn’t win a pennant, they came close. The NL East isn’t a very tough division to win. The only real threat is the Braves, and if the Mets could get a decent bullpen, then the Mets too. At the moment, It’s the Nationals division to lose in 2015. What they do after that is entirely up to them.
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