Preview #12 of 30: Washington Nationals

Looking for the worst team in the majors in 2007?  It may well be the Nationals.

Frank Robinson, who somehow coaxed a .500 season out of the team in 2005 and then was fired after the team went 71-91 last season, was not to blame for the sorry state of this franchise.  That was a result of Jeffrey Loria's shoddy ownership of the team, which led to MLB's takeover of the franchise and subsequent move to Washington.  Without a lot of talent in the majors and a virtually nonexistent farm system, there's not much hope for the immediate future.

Then again, the team does have a budding star in 22-year-old Ryan Zimmerman, who established himself as one of the best third basemen in the National League with a .287/.351/.471 campaign in which he led the Nats with 110 RBI.  The bad news?  GM Jim Bowden gambled (and lost) that he could keep Alfonso Soriano around, but was utterly unprepared for the gobs of money the Cubs threw at him.  While the Nationals are probably happy they won't be saddled with Soriano's ridiculous contract for the next decade, they missed the opportunity to get some real help for the team by trading him at the deadline.  That leaves the offense in the hands of Zimmerman, the perpetually injured Nick Johnson, and the perpetual promise of Austin Kearns, acquired in a trade with the Reds last season.  Johnson is a solid player but doesn't provide a ton of power for a first baseman.  Kearns, who began his career with 28 homers in 664 AB in 2002 and 2003, has yet to replicate that production, and frustrated the Reds to the point that they shipped him (along with Felipe Lopez and Ryan Wagner) to the Nationals for the rough equivalent of a bag of peanuts.

Lopez is pencilled in as the starting shortstop, but he may be moved to second, partly because of his defense, partly because the Nationals have no second baseman after trading Jose Vidro, and partly because the Nationals apparently think their lineup can carry Cristian Guzman, who didn't play in 2006 and was last seen posting a .219/.260/.314 line in 2005.  I really can't tell you why the Nationals don't just play Lopez at short and find somebody to play second, as it's not hard to find middle infielders who can equal Guzman's production.

There are some other nice players here -- Chris Snelling, who the Mariners stupidly traded to the Nats to get Vidro, in center, and Ryan Church, who hit 10 homers in limited action, in left.  But overall, this Nationals lineup scares no one, and worse, with the notable exception of Zimmerman and maybe Kearns, most of these guys can't be expected to be much better than what they already are.  And there's virtually no help to speak of from the farm.

And if you think the offense is bad... wait until you see the pitching!  Last year, the Nats saw four starting pitchers -- Ramon Ortiz, Tony Armas, Livan Hernandez, and Pedro Astacio -- post ERAs over 5.  The good news is that all four are gone.  The bad news?  The guys who will replace them may actually be even worse.  John Patterson is the best of this bunch, and injuries limited him to just eight starts in 2006.  In 2005, when he was healthy, Patterson went 9-7 with a fine 3.13 ERA.  Lefty Mike O'Connor, who went 3-8 with a 4.80 ERA in 20 starts last year, will also probably figure into the rotation mix.  Four other players who made starts for the Nationals last year -- Billy Traber, Jason Bergmann, Shawn Hill, and Beltran Perez -- are still around, though none were that good in '06 and none are highly regarded as prospects.  There's also Jerome Williams, former Giants and Cubs hurler, who wasn't very good the last time he was seen in the majors but may actually be the Nationals' second-best starter.

In short, the Nationals' rotation went from being a bunch of guys you've heard of who aren't very good (and Livan Hernandez, who's better than what he showed in 2006) to a bunch of guys you haven't heard of who aren't very good, either.  This all puts to waste Chad Cordero, one of the best closers in the game.  What's the point in having a good closer if you never have leads to protect?  The Pirates addressed this issue for trading their closer for a bat; the Nationals might try the same thing, since they probably won't be contending for anything this year.

Bottom line: the Nationals may be the worst team in baseball.  At least the Royals made an effort to improve their team in the offseason (yes, the Gil Meche signing was a little over-the-top, but having Meche as your ace is better than having Scott Elarton as your ace... which the Royals actually did a year or two ago.)

Projected 2007 Finish: 5th, NL East

Projected Starting Lineup

Lopez 2b
Snelling cf
Zimmerman 3b
Johnson 1b
Kearns rf
Church lf
Schneider c
Guzman ss

Projected Starting Rotation

Your guess is as good as mine.

The season will be a success if... They don't completely embarrass themselves?  You know, having the worst record in the league may not be so bad as it means the Nats get the #1 draft pick.  The farm system needs help more than anything.

Projected 2007 record: 58-104