WTOP\'s Craig Heist takes a look at the 2013
Washington Nationals, breaking the team down from
manager Davey Johnson to the bench.
Starting Pitcher - Jordan Zimmermann Zimmermann broke into
double-digit wins last season, going 12-8 with
a 2.94
ERA while throwing 195 2/3 innings. He is
looking to take the "next step" and some run
support would go a long way toward that. He is
considered by many to be a top-of-the-rotation
pitcher. He has been working on his changeup
this spring. Most people feel that if he can
master it, it will make him even tougher. (Al
Bello/Getty Images)
The Presidents Your guess is as good as ours as to how these guys will do this year. But with the addition of William Howard Taft (bringing up the rear in this Opening Day photo), maybe Teddy won't be such a lovable loser anymore.
Or maybe not.
(WTOP/Sam Millstone)
WTOP/Sam Millstone
The Bench - Tyler Moore "Tee-Mo," as he is called by
his teammates, hit .263 with 10 homers and 29
RBIs in just 75 games after coming up from
Triple-A Syracuse. No doubt his biggest hit
last year came in Game 1 of the NLDS against
the Cardinals, when he had a two-run opposite
field single to bring the Nats back from a 2-1
deficit to win 3-2. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
The Bench - Roger Bernadina Bernadina was another member of the
"Goon Squad" from last year who stepped up big
when others went down with injuries. Bernadina,
known as "The Shark," hit .291 with five homers
and 25 RBIs in 227 at-bats. He will provide
outfield depth. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
The Bench - Chad Tracy Tracy hit .269 last season for the
Nats, but really excelled as a pinch-hitter. He
hit .261 with one homer, 11 RBIs
and five walks in that role. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty
Images)
The Bench - Steve Lombardozzi Lombardozzi hit .273 last year
with three homers, 27 RBIs, 16 doubles and
three
triples in 384 at-bats and 126 games. After
injuries to Michael Morse, Jayson Werth, Ryan
Zimmerman and Ian Desmond, Lombo filled in all
over and proved to be one of the reasons why
the Nats never missed a beat on the way to
winning the NL East. (Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Greg Fiume/Getty Images
Bullpen - Henry Rodriguez Manager Davey Johnson
likes this hard-throwing right-hander and will
give him every chance to regain the form of
early last year when he saved nine games before
a
series of injuries hampered him -- most
notably,
bone chips in the right elbow. He missed a
total of 84 games over two different stints on
the DL. (Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
Hunter Martin/Getty Images
Bullpen - Ryan Mattheus Mattheus was solid as a rock in
middle relief for the Nats last season,
pitching
66 1/3 innings in 66 games. He posted a 5-3
record with an ERA of 2.85. His highlight of
the
year came against the Cardinals in the NLDS as
he
picked up the win in Game 1, throwing just
two pitches to record three outs. (Al
Bello/Getty Images)
Bullpen - Drew Storen Coming off a 43-save season in 2011, Storen
missed the first 89 games of last year after
having surgery to
remove bone chips in his right elbow. When he
returned, he was
primarily in a setup role, but then returned to
the closing role in
September. He closed out three of the Nats'
final 10 wins to end
the regular season. He was the losing pitcher
in Game 5 of the NLDS
against St. Louis, as the Cardinals came back
from a 7-5 deficit to win
9-7. (Doug Benc/Getty Images)
Doug Benc/Getty Images
Bullpen - Rafael Soriano You could argue that when the
Nats signed Soriano as a free agent in January,
the club either was being proactive in
bolstering the
bullpen or they were left with an uneasy
feeling about the way Drew Storen would handle
the collapse in Game 5 of the NLDS against
the Cardinals. Either one would be correct.
Soriano saved 42 games for the Yankees last
year while filling in for Mariano Rivera. He
also saved 27 for the Braves in 2009
and 45 for the Rays in 2010. (Mike
Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Bullpen - Tyler Clippard Clippard was the eighth-inning
setup man until Drew Storen got hurt last
season and he moved into the closer's role. He
saved
32 of 37 chances and is expected to be a
main cog again in the back end of the pen as a
setup guy. The most impressive thing about
Clippard is his durability. In the past three
seasons, he has thrown a total of 252 innings
in
224 games. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Al Bello/Getty Images
Bullpen - Zach Duke Duke will serve as the left-handed
long man. Duke was signed as a minor league free
agent in March of last year and went 15-5 in 26
starts for Triple-A Syracuse. Duke was a late
season call-up and was 1-0 in eight games with a
1.32 ERA. (Kyle Rivas/Getty Images)
Kyle Rivas/Getty Images
Bullpen - Craig Stammen Stammen was very valuable to the
Nationals in a long relief role last season,
going
6-1 with a very stingy 2.34 ERA. He appeared
in 59 games last year, walking 36 while striking
out 87. He held opponents to a .215 average. (Al
Bello/Getty Images)
Starting Pitcher - Ross Detwiler Detwiler pitched for Team USA in the
World Baseball Classic against Italy this
spring and threw four
scoreless innings. It appears he has a better
grasp of the Major League game. He went 10-8
last
season and allowed only one run in six innings
against the Cardinals in Game 4 of the NLDS.
(Al Bello/Getty Images)
Al Bello/Getty Images
Starting Pitcher - Dan Haren Haren was signed as a free agent
after spending the last 2 1/2 years
with the Angels and takes the place of Edwin
Jackson from last year's rotation. Haren went
12-13 last year and missed two starts because
of
back stiffness but is a workhorse when healthy.
He is a three-time All Star and started the
2007 game for the American League. Haren threw
well over 200 innings for seven consecutive
seasons from 2005-2011. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty
Images)
Starting Pitcher - Gio Gonzalez Gonzalez is coming off an All-Star
season as he went 21-8 with a 2.89 ERA while
finishing third in the Cy Young voting. He
pitched for Team USA in the World Baseball
Classic this spring and threw five scoreless
innings in his start against Puerto Rico.
Gonzalez has gone 52-29 over the last three
seasons. Only CC Sabathia has more wins (55)
among left-handed pitchers over that time.
(Mike Ehrmann/Getty
Images)
Starting Pitcher - Stephen Strasburg Strasburg is ready for the
season knowing there are no innings limits and
no restrictions. He went 15-6 last season with
an ERA of 3.16 in 28 starts. He was shut down
after his start against the Marlins on
Sept. 7 after throwing 159 1/3 innings. He
comes into this year with a 16-7 record and
2.95 ERA in 33 starts since coming back from
Tommy John surgery. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Catcher - Wilson Ramos Ramos is completing his comeback
from knee surgery and appears to be ready to
start the season for the Nats. He injured the
knee on May 12 in a game against the Reds trying
to, of all things, chase down a passed ball. He
has proven to Davey Johnson this spring that he
can catch a full game. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Al Bello/Getty Images
Catcher - Kurt Suzuki Suzuki was acquired from the
Athletics in early August 2012 and settled
in as the Nats' primary receiver the rest of the
season. Before the trade, Suzuki was considered
one of the top defensive catchers in the AL.
(Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Right Field - Jayson Werth Werth is one of the leaders in
the Nats clubhouse.
He missed half the season last year after
breaking his wrist
trying to make a sliding catch May 6 against
the Phillies. He hit
.312 the rest of the way after his return to
the lineup on Aug.
2, but his signature moment came in
Game 4 of the NLDS
against the Cardinals, when he hit a walk-off
solo home run in the
10th inning that sent the series to Game 5.
(Mike Ehrmann/Getty
Images)
Center Field - Denard Span Span was acquired by the Nationals
from Minnesota for RHP Alex Meyer. He gives the
Nationals the leadoff hitter they have coveted
over the last several years and a center
fielder
that can run the ball down with the best of
them.
He gets on base and doesn't strike out much.
(Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Left Field - Bryce Harper Harper burst on the scene last
year and had an immediate impact for the
Nationals. He was named National League Rookie
of the Year after hitting .270 with 26 doubles,
nine triples, 22 homers and 59 RBIs. His 22
homers
as a teen ranks second behind Tony Conigliaro,
who had 24. Harper will hit primarily third in
the lineup this season behind Jayson Werth and
in front of Ryan Zimmerman. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty
Images)
Third Base - Ryan Zimmerman Zimmerman is coming back from
offseason shoulder surgery but appears to be
close
to 100 percent throwing. Despite the shoulder
giving him trouble last year, the Z-man still
managed to play in 145 games, hitting .282 with
25
homers and 95 RBIs. He has been working on his
throwing all spring and says he is "90-95
percent." (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Shortstop - Ian Desmond Desmond is coming off an All-Star year
after winning a Silver Slugger award as the NL's
top offensive shortstop. His 25 homers, .511
slugging percentage and .845 OPS led all MLB
shortstops. He and Espinosa form one of
baseball's best double-play combinations. (Mike
Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Second Base - Danny Espinosa Many people think this
will be Danny Espinosa's
coming out year. No one questions his defense
at second base, but
offensively he needs to make adjustments to cut
down on his
strikeouts. Espinosa has hit 38 homers with 122
RBIs and 66 doubles
over the least two seasons, but he hit just
.247
last year. He has
been working to have a more compact swing
toward the ball. (Al
Bello/Getty Images)
First Base - Adam LaRoche After testing the free agent market, LaRoche
signed a two-year extension with the Nationals
on Jan. 8, 2013.
He had a spectacular 2012 season hitting .271
with 33 home runs
and 100 RBIs with 69 extra-base hits. LaRoche
won a Gold Glove and
a Silver Slugger award, joining Ryan Zimmerman
as the only Nats
player to do it in the same year. (Mike
Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Manager - Davey Johnson Johnson enters his third season as
manager of the Nats and the
resumé is quite impressive for the 70-year-old
skipper. Johnson won a
World Series with the Mets in 1986 and has
taken four different teams
to the postseason (Mets, Reds, Orioles and
Nationals), joining Billy
Martin as the only manager to accomplish that
feat. Johnson has Hall
of Fame credentials with a .566 winning
percentage (1,286-995). In his
15 years as a big league manager, he has
finished first or second
12 times and has won 90 games or more seven
times. After losing to
the Cardinals last year in the playoffs,
Johnson vowed at the Winter
Meetings this team's motto for the season
would be, "World Series or
bust." Everybody is waiting to see how it plays
out. (Mike
Ehrmann/Getty Images)
(Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Rob Carr/Getty Images
In tribute to Davey Johnson Washington National manager Davey Johnson tips his cap to the crowd before a baseball game against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park in Washington, Sunday, Sept. 22. Johnson announced earlier in the season that this would be his last year managing the team. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
