
FanHouse continues its 2009 MLB Preview with a look at the Washington Nationals.
The Nationals opened a shiny new ballpark last year, but the goodwill reaped from their new palace on the banks of the Anacostia River has fizzled almost entirely since Ryan Zimmerman's walk-off home run on Opening Night. On the field, the big club lost 102 games and the farm system -- which is already in a deep hole after years of ownership by Major League Baseball -- took a major step back.
Off the field, things might be worse. Jim Bowden failed to sign top draft pick Aaron Crow in June and is now out as general manager after coming under federal investigation for his possible involvement in illegal scouting practices in the Dominican Republic, including skimming signing bonuses earmarked for prospects.
There might be a beautiful new ballpark in Washington D.C., but the state of baseball in the nation's capital looks very, very ugly.
Lineup | ||
---|---|---|
1. | Cristian Guzman | SS |
2. | Lastings Milledges | CF |
3. | Ryan Zimmerman | 3B |
4. | Adam Dunn | 1B |
5. | Josh Willingham | LF |
6. | Elijah Dukes | RF |
7. | Jesus Flores | C |
8. | Anderson Hernandez | 2B |
9. | Pitcher's Spot | P |
Pitching Staff | ||
1. | John Lannan | L |
2. | Scott Olsen | L |
3. | Daniel Cabrera | R |
4. | Shawn Hill | R |
5. | Collin Balester | R |
CL | Joel Hanrahan | R |
Sports
In: Daniel Cabrera, SP (free agency); Scott Olsen, SP (trade); Adam Dunn, 1B/OF; Josh Willingham LF (trade)
Out: Aaron Boone, IF (free agency); Felipe Lopez, 2B (release); Willie Harris, OF (free agency); Emilio Bonifacio, 2B (trade); Paul Lo Duca, C (free agency); Tim Redding, SP (free agency); Odalis Perez, SP (free agency); Chad Cordero, RP (free agency)
Management in Turmoil ...
Bowden is gone, but there's still plenty of pressure on everyone running the club, from assistant GM Mike Rizzo to team president Stan Kasten to manager Manny Acta to the Lerner family itself. The Nationals were welcomed with open arms by a baseball-starved city, but television and radio ratings were horrendous in 2008, and attendance at Nationals Park was the lowest for any newly-opened stadium in the post-Camden Yards era. The best way to fix that is to improve the product on the field. Whether that means finding an ace talent evaluator to run the organization or breaking out the checkbook, things need to change.

Adam Dunn
Corner Logjam ...
Even before the Nats signed Dunn, this was an awfully crowded roster. Dunn will take over at first base, pushing incumbent Nick Johnson to the bench or onto the trading block and leaving five players -- Wily Mo Pena, Josh Willingham, Lastings Milledge, Elijah Dukes and Austin Kearns -- to battle for three outfield slots. Milledge and Dukes are young, have high ceilings and need playing time to approach them. It's up to Acta, and perhaps the front office, to keep everyone happy without negatively impacting the development of key youngsters.
Call to Arms ...
The Nationals' rotation has seemingly always been of the patchwork variety, but the winter acquisitions of Daniel Cabrera and Scott Olsen give it some potential, even if it's very raw. Washington has finished 15th, 10th and 16th in the NL in runs allowed over the last three seasons, so it must begin to develop better starting pitching, whether it's Cabrera and Olsen or youngsters like Collin Balester or Jordan Zimmermann.
Why You Should Watch: Adam Dunn hits the ball. Far. If you got your fill of that in Cincinnati, then the development of Milledge and Dukes should be interesting to monitor, as well as the potential fireworks in a clubhouse that features both of those youngsters as well as shaky character guys like Olsen and Cabrera.
What Defines Success: Washington has such a long way to go that avoiding 100 losses again would signify improvement, and finishing in fourth place would be a bit of a coup. The most important strides the Nationals can take this year are in the minors and in the draft. They must take Stephen Strasburg with the No. 1 overall pick and sign him, spend freely in the rest of the draft and get top prospects Ross Detwiler and Chris Marrero back on track after rough seasons in 2008.
Related Links- Fantasy Baseball Preview: Not Many Stars, but Bargains Galore
- Better Know a Prospect: Washington Nationals
Another Nationals Disaster in 2009? originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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