Position by Position: Where the Nationals Rank in the NL East

The Nationals made some crucial acquisitions this offseason in an effort to sure up a shaky starting rotation, one that ranked toward the bottom of the National League.

The offense of the team remains essentially unchanged, though it does figure to score more runs than last season.

A healthy Adam LaRoche will help remedy their lack of run scoring ability from 2011, as will a bounce back season from Jayson Werth.

It's still uncertain as to whether or not Bryce Harper will break camp with the big league club, but the Nationals would be smart to keep him in the Majors. Because he is still so young, he can be sent back down to the minors if he's not producing.

That's unlikely, though, as many predict that he can provide an instant boost for the offense.

The NL East is arguably the toughest division in the National League, and you can even make the argument that it is even more competitive than its American League counterpart.

The offenses of the NL East are very strong, and the Nationals will have to produce if they hope to get a shot at winning one of the two Wild Card spots.

Here's how the Nationals stack up against the other NL East teams.

*Note: For the sake of argument, I have decided to include Bryce Harper as a member of the Major League team.

Catcher

1. Brian McCann, Braves

2. Carlos Ruiz, Phillies

3. Wilson Ramos, Nationals

4. John Buck, Marlins

5. Josh Thole, Mets

There's no doubt as to who the best catcher in the NL East is, as Brian McCann is also one of the best catchers in the Majors.

McCann battled injuries last season, but he figures to come back strong and post his usual line of about .290/.360/.490 with 25+ home runs and close to 90 RBIs.

Carlos Ruiz does not receive nearly as much credit as he deserves. He is a great defensive backstop and is one of the most clutch hitters on the Phillies.

He caught in 132 games last season and it's safe to say that we will see a similar number of games caught in 2012, given the fact that the aging Brian Schneider is the No. 2 catcher on the team.

The Nationals' Wilson Ramos places third amongst NL East catchers. In just his second season in the league, Ramos broke out and mashed 15 home runs while driving in 67 runs. He also posted a .267/.334/.445.

Although the Nationals have their top catching prospect, Jesus Flores, currently slated to be the backup catcher, Ramos may make Flores expendable if he produces at a level similar to 2011.

The powerful John Buck does little more than hit home runs; his .227 batting average last season ranked third-to-last amongst all regular catchers in 2011.

He'll most likely hit around 20 home runs in 2012, but his real value lies in being a veteran presence on a very young Marlins team.

Josh Thole's abilities seem best suited for a bench role, but the Mets don't have anybody else capable of stepping up and taking the job away from him.

In 340 at-bats in 2011, Thole hit just three home runs. His .268/.345/.344 line is respectable, but his run producing abilities are the reason he ranks last on this list.

First Base

1. Ryan Howard, Phillies

2. Freddie Freeman, Braves

3. Ike Davis, Mets

4. Gaby Sanchez, Marlins

5. Adam LaRoche, Nationals

After Ryan Howard, who is clearly the best first baseman in the NL East, Nos. 2-5 probably could have been constructed in several different ways.

I see Freddie Freeman establishing himself as one of the better young hitters in all of baseball in 2012, improving on his .282/.346/.448 line and 21 home runs with 76 RBI.

He could realistically crack 30 homers and 100 RBIs in 2012.

Ike Davis was having a great season with the bat (.302/.383/.543, seven home runs, 25 RBIs) before injuring his left ankle. Assuming he stays healthy during the 2012 season, he has the potential to produce at a similar level to Freddie Freeman.

An All-Star in 2011, Gaby Sanchez actually regressed slightly from his 2010 season. With back-to-back 19 home run seasons under his belt, Sanchez has established himself as one of the better young power hitters in the division.

We may have seen him hit his peak, though, so don't expect him to be putting up Freeman/Davis numbers in 2012.

The aged veteran of the group, Adam LaRoche ranks at the bottom of this list. He will surpass Sanchez if he can put together another season like he did in 2010 (25 home runs, 100 RBIs), but we'll have to wait and see if he can recover from injury.

Second Base

1. Chase Utley, Phillies

2. Dan Uggla, Braves

3. Daniel Murphy, Mets

4. Danny Espinosa, Nationals

5. Omar Infante, Marlins

Similarly to first base, second base is one of the deepest positions in the NL East.

When healthy, Chase Utley is definitely the best player at his position in this division, but staying healthy has been a big issue for him over the past few seasons.

He hit just .259 with 11 home runs and 44 RBIs in 103 games in 2011.

Dan Uggla is pretty much known for one thing—hitting the ball out of the park. In his six seasons in the league, he has just once posted a season with less than 30 home runs. 

That was his rookie season when he hit 27.

Expect 30 homers, 80 RBIs and a low batting average of about .250 from Uggla in 2012.

After missing the entire 2010 season, Daniel Murphy broke out in 2011. He recorded a .320/.362/.448 line with six homers and 49 RBIs in 391 at-bats. Murphy has played left field, third base and first base in his short Major League career, but he is the most likely candidate to play second for the team in 2012.

Danny Espinosa showed very good power for a middle infielder in 2011, hitting 21 home runs and driving in 66 runs. He also stole 17 bases.

His batting average left much to be desired, hitting just .236 in 573 at-bats. The Nationals would like to see that average rise in to the .270 range in 2012. If he maintains his power while doing so, he could challenge Murphy for the No. 3 second baseman in the NL East.

After a fantastic season in 2010 with the Braves, Omar Infante had a pedestrian season in 2011 with the Marlins. His .276 batting average was right on par with his career average of (.275), as was his .315 OBP (.318).

Infante will be a solid role player for the Marlins next season, but he most likely won't be moving up the ranks of NL East second basemen.

Third Base

1. Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals

2. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins

3. David Wright, Mets

4. Chipper Jones, Braves

5. Placido Polanco, Phillies

If first base and second base in the NL East are deep, then third base is really, really deep. All of the regular third basemen are perennial All-Stars, and each of them has seen many successes during their careers.

Ryan Zimmerman takes the top spot because of his consistency with the glove, as well as with the bat. He owns a career .288/.355/.479 line, but he stands to boost those numbers with a healthy 2012. If he's healthy, expect 30 home runs, 100 RBIs and at least a .300 batting average.

New to the position in 2012, Hanley Ramirez will quickly establish himself as one of the elite third basemen in the league. He'll be returning from nagging back and leg injuries, so we should see Ramirez get back to his usual production.

He's already hit over .330 twice in his career, so don't be surprised if he does it again this season.

The only reason David Wright does not rank above Ramirez is because of his inconsistency. When he's right (no pun intended), he's one of the most exciting young players in the game. When he's struggling, he can be a big frustration to Mets fans.

I almost ranked Chipper Jones last on this slide, but he still can produce at a high enough level to be a viable Major Leaguer. At this point in his career, he's no lock to play in more than 120 games, so don't expect All-Star production from Jones in 2012.

Although he's a career .301 hitter, Placido Polanco hasn't posted a batting average over .300 since 2008 as a member of the Tigers.

This will be his 15th season in the league, so we may have already seen the best of Polanco. 

Shortstop

1. Jose Reyes, Marlins

2. Jimmy Rollins, Phillies

3. Ian Desmond, Nationals

4. Tyler Pastornicky, Braves

5. Ruben Tejada/Ronny Cedeno, Mets

Jose Reyes is one of the most dynamic players in baseball. In his career, he has hit 99 triples and 81 home runs. He has led the league in triples four times (2005, 2006, 2008 and 2011) and stolen bases three times (2005, 2006 and 2007).

The only problem with Reyes is staying healthy. He played in 126 games last season, but still qualified for the batting title, winning the award with a .337 average. If he's healthy, he'll be one of the top players in the NL East in 2012.

Jimmy Rollins just hasn't been the same player since winning the NL MVP in 2007. He is clearly beginning to lose much of his power, something that defined his career during his peak from 2004-07.

Although never a prolific home run hitter, Rollins used to be adept at finding the gaps and posting high numbers of doubles and triples. Last season, he hit just 22 doubles and two triples.

After hitting just .253 in 2011, Ian Desmond will need to improve upon his batting average if he wants to move up the ranks of Major League shortstops.

As the leadoff hitter in the Nationals lineup, Desmond's .298 OBP from 2011 is unacceptable. It'll be impossible for him to move up unless he increases his batting average on OBP in 2012.

Despite never seeing time at the Major League level, Tyler Pastornicky's potential alone ranks him ahead of the mess at shortstop of the Mets.

Pastornicky is not much of a power hitter, so expect high stolen base and OBP numbers from him during his rookie season.

After losing Reyes to the Marlins this offseason, the Mets signed Ronny Cedeno to compete with rookie Ruben Tejada at shortstop. Neither player will produce very much and the Mets will probably rank toward the bottom of shortstop production in the Majors.

Right Field

1. Hunter Pence, Phillies

2. Mike Stanton, Marlins

3. Jason Heyward, Braves

4. Bryce Harper, Nationals

5. Lucas Duda, Mets

Young stars aplenty roam the outfields of the NL East. Hunter Pence is no doubt the best of the right fielders, as he is able to hit for a high average while posting very good power numbers. Unorthodox as he may be, there's very little that Pence doesn't do well.

Mike Stanton has absurd amounts of power. He will be a 40 home run threat in 2012, especially with another year of experience under his belt. The only thing preventing Stanton from placing ahead of Pence is the fact that he owns a career average of just .261.

If Stanton increases his batting average in 2012, as well as his power numbers, we could be looking at an elite talent in the league for years to come.

After a fantastic rookie season in 2010, Jason Heyward became a product of the dreaded sophomore slump in 2011.

He hit just .227 in 128 games, but it's clear that he is a great talent. Heyward won't prove that he's an elite talent in 2012, but expect him to produce at a level similar to his rookie season.

Uber prospect Bryce Harper has a shot at overtaking Jason Heyward in 2012, but it's highly unlikely that he displaces both Stanton and Pence. He's arguably the best prospect ever, and the Nationals would be wise to name him the Opening Day right fielder.

In 100 games last season, Lucas Duda showed the Mets that he was capable of holding down right field until top prospect Kirk Nieuwenhuis is ready to take the jump into the Majors. He hit .292 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs in 2011.

Center Field

1. Shane Victorino, Phillies

2. Jayson Werth, Nationals

3. Michael Bourn, Braves

4. Emilio Bonifacio, Marlins

5. Andres Torres, Mets

Shane Victorino posted another solid season in 2011, despite stealing less than 20 bases for the first time since 2007. With 16 triples last season, Victorino was the league leader for the second time in his career (2009).

A free agent following next season, expect Victorino to produce and try his best to cash in on the open market.

Jayson Werth did not live up to the high expectations that came with the seven-year $126 million he signed prior to last season. He hit just .232 with 20 home runs in the middle of the Nationals lineup.

It's difficult for Werth to get much worse in 2012, and it's very safe to assume that he'll bounce back. If he posts a season like he did in 2009 or 2010 with the Phillies, he will rank as the top center fielder in the NL East.

Michael Bourn is a great player, but his game is too one dimensional to rank any higher on this list. He led the league in steals again in 2011 (61), the third season in a row he has accomplished such a task.

With a career average of .271, Bourn is your prototypical speedster.

Emilio Bonifacio produced admirably in his first season playing in over 130 games in 2011. He hit .296/.360/.393 with five home runs, 36 RBIs and 40 stolen bases. He'll likely be hitting second behind Jose Reyes in 2012, so expect similar numbers from him.

Andres Torres had a very good season in 2010 as the regular center fielder for the Giants. He did not have a good season in 2011, though. In 348 at-bats, Torres hit just .221 with four home runs and 19 RBI.

At 34 years old, he won't be a breakout player in 2012.

Left Field

1. Mike Morse, Nationals

2. Logan Morrison, Marlins

3. Martin Prado, Braves

4. Jason Bay, Mets

5. John Mayberry, Phillies

Although left field is one of the weakest positions in the NL East, Mike Morse is the clear No. 1 option.

In his first season as a regular player in 2011, Morse hit .303/.360/.550 with 31 home runs and 95 RBIs. He also hit 36 doubles.

Morse will drive in close to 100 runs this season batting third in the Nationals lineup.

If only Logan Morrison play at the level he Tweets. Although he doesn't, Morrison still put together a very respectable season in 2011. With 23 home runs, 72 RBIs and a .247/.330/.468 line, Morrison ranks as the second best left fielder in the NL East.

After posting three consecutive .300 seasons, Martin Prado slumped to a .260 average in 2011. His 57 RBIs were the second highest total of his career, however. The Braves will be happy if they can get Prado back into the .290 range in 2012.

Whatever happened to Jason Bay? Once one of the best young talents in the game, Bay has shown no signs of his old potential as a member of the Mets. 

In two seasons with the team, Bay has posted a .251/.337/.386 line with just 18 home runs and 104 RBIs. He'll likely produce at a similar pace next season.

Left field in Citizen's Bank Park was supposed to be reserved for the highly touted Dominic Brown, but his inability to produce in limited action leaves John Mayberry as the likely starter in 2012.

With 15 home runs in 267 at-bats in 2011, Mayberry is a sleeper candidate for 25+ home runs in 2012. His inexperience is the lone aspect preventing him from ranking higher on this list, however.

Recap

As a really primitive way of ranking the top offensive teams in the NL East, here is the average positioning of each team on the previous lists:

1. Phillies, 2.25

2. Braves, 2.75

3. Nationals, 2.875

4. Marlins, 3

5. Mets, 4.125

The Nationals figure to be a much more competitive team in 2012 than they were in 2011. Even with 80 wins, the team greatly underperformed.

Factor in the increased pitching talent that the Nationals acquired during the offseason, and the team could be making a push at one of the two Wild Card spots toward the end of the upcoming season.