Washington Nationals Will Deliver in 2012 Despite All the Hype

It’s an exciting time to be a Washington Nationals fan as they’ve revamped their starting rotation and bullpen.  In order to win in the National League East, pitching strength is key, and with the additions of starting pitchers Gio Gonzalez, Edwin Jackson and reliever Brad Lidge, the Nats are already contenders in a touch division.

Not only has Washington fortified their starting five, sensation Stephen Strasburg will be the opening day hurler.  After recovering from Tommy John surgery last off-season, he only appeared in five contests at the end of the ‘11 season.  The Nationals were still able to play .500 ball without him in the starting rotation for most of the season.

It will be interesting if Strasburg is able to stay healthy all season because the Nats have never experienced an entire summer with him toeing the rubber.

And of course, who can forget about the looming call-up of the future superstar Bryce Harper.  At some point this season, we’ll all get a chance to see greatness, or so he’s been labeled, in action.

The Nationals front office made it clear that they want to be contenders this year.  They went out and really changed the face of their pitching staff by bringing in proven arms to solidify their rotation.

Despite all the hype surrounding the metro area, the Nationals will definitely be able to deliver this season, although they sit in arguably the toughest division in baseball.

Gio Gonzalez

Former Athletic Gonzalez broke out in 2010 and has strung together two impressive seasons since.  He went 15-9 in ’10, with a 3.23 ERA over 200.2 innings of work.  Gonzalez only surrendered 171 hits and managed to rack up the same number of punch outs.

Last season, the southpaw pitched to an impressive 16-12 record with a staggering 3.13 ERA.  Now you might be thinking that 12 losses is somewhat high, but you have to remember who he was pitching for: the Athletics and their lowly offense.  No doubt, on another team, he would have racked up 20 wins.

Overall in his career, the left-hander has accumulated a 38-32 record with a very respectable 3.93 ERA.  In 535.1 innings, he’s allowed 491 base hits, 234 earned runs and only issued 264 free passes (that’s as many as the Orioles rotation allows in a single year).  Not to mention, Gonzalez is only 26 years old and he’s shown an amazing ability to control his pitches.

Gonzalez will be the No. 2 starter behind Strasburg of course.  If last year is any indication of his progress, he’s developing and maturing at a very fast pace and seems to only be getting stronger and more intelligent with each passing season.

Edwin Jackson

The 28-year-old right-handed hurler Jackson has bounced around from team to team in his young career.  The Dodgers drafted him in the sixth round of the 2001 Amateur Draft, and he debuted for them in 2003.  Since then, he’s played for the Rays, the White Sox, the Diamondbacks, the Tigers and most recently, the Cardinals.

Obviously, there is something about his explosive young arm that’s impressed scouts all over the country, although he hasn’t been able to enjoy as much success as expected in his career. 

Over his nine major league seasons, he’s compiled a 60-60 record with a somewhat-high 4.46 ERA.  In his 1079 innings of work, Jackson’s given up 1154 base hits, 535 earned runs and only issued 479 bases on balls. 

Jackson’s breakout season was in ’08 when he was a member of the surging Rays and was part of their memorable playoff run.  He racked up 14 wins that season and made a name for himself. 

He was quickly shipped off to Detroit the next season and named to the All-Star team for the first and only time in his career in 2009.  He finished the ’09 season with 13 wins.  Each of the last four seasons, he’s strung together at least 10 wins for his team.  In 12 starts with the Cardinals, he went 5-2 with a 3.58 ERA over 78 innings of work. 

Although he hasn’t pitched to as much success as Gonzalez, Jackson is a household name who has a proven track record of winning as of late. 

Brad Lidge

Not only did the Nationals front office work on the starting rotation, they added a couple of key names to bulk up the bullpen.  By far the most well-known and prominent relievers is former closer Lidge.  Of course the Nats have young stud Drew Storen to close out games, so Lidge will play more of a set-up man role.

Over the last two seasons with the Phillies, he’s tossed 67 innings and surrendered only 18 earned runs (2.42 ERA).  In his career, he’s racked up 223 saves and he’s finished the year with more than 40 saves twice, once with the Phillies and once with his hometown Houston Astros.

Although he won’t be closing for the Nationals, I think Lidge will have a great impact on both the late innings of the game and on the development of the other relievers and even starters on the team. 

Not only will the additions to their pitching staff improve the fortune of the Nats, but they traded for utility man, Mark DeRosa this offseason.  Although he won’t impact that team like a known-slugger, DeRosa will bring his winning attitude and his hard work ethic to the table.

Overall, I think the additions of Gonzalez and Jackson to the rotation behind Strasburg will thrust the Nats into the spotlight even before Harper makes his MLB debut sometime this summer.  Washington really improved their pitching staff, and that’s what it takes to win in the NL East.