Washington Nationals Preseason Report

After another sub .500 finish from the Washington Nationals, finishing with a 73-89 record, work needed to be done in America's capitol.

And this past off-season, the Nationals have done that, filling out their roster. The Nats offense was a major problem last year, finishing last in the whole MLB in runs scored. Defense also needed to be improved, as they were 24th in the league in fielding percentage. 

In the 2007 season, the Washington Nationals pitching staff was the high point for them, and even that was not all that impressive. Anchored by ace Shawn Hill, they managed to record a team ERA of 4.58, ranking 19th in the league.

As you can see, the Nats were in line for some shaking up.

To fix the offensive problem, they went out and got Elijah Dukes and Lastings Milledge. These are two undeniably talented players; however, they have very controversial off-field acts. It seems that the Nationals are willing to take a risk on two head cases who have the potential to be two cornerstones for their new team.

Midway through the season last year, they also acquired Wily Mo Peña from the World Series champion Boston Red Sox. He is a young kid with a very bright future and the ability to be a true home run threat in the Nationals' line-up. That being said, at times he has struggled with consistency, and with his lack of playing time in Boston, his career may have been set back a bit. They also signed veteran Dimitri Young to a long-term deal, so that some of the younger kids on the club can look up to him, as he has successfully been in drug-rehab, fighting to stop his addiction. Young is a Peña-type slugger with some quality MLB experience under his belt and was an All-Star last season. 

Hopefully, this will rub off on the rest of the club. Another offensive weapon that they added is Aaron Boone off the bench. He is a veteran slugger, and an occasional homerun swing. He will fit nicely for pinch hits and be a good role player, as well as add extra depth down the stretch.

17 year old top prospect Esmailyn Gonzalez will not help the Nationals in the 2008 season, but the slick-fielding Dominican shortstop will be a key player for many years to come.

It was clear that the Nationals had their mind on improving their pitching when they drafted Ross Detwiler in last year's mid-summer draft with the 6th overall pick. Detwiler went 4-5 in his senior year at Missouri State, posting a 2.22 E.R.A in 89 innings with 110 strike outs, while just walking 38. The 6 foot 5 inch, 185-pound lefty continued his success in his first professional season, allowing just 3 earned runs in 12 innings of rookie ball, with 15 strikeouts. After that, he was promoted to high single A, where he posted a 4.22 E.R.A in 21.1 innings, striking out 13. Soon after that, Washington Nationals fans got their first taste of him in the big leagues, as he pitched one scoreless relief inning in late September.

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