Washington Nationals: 5 Reasons Why They Can Get to the World Series This Season

The Washington Nationals will be playing in the 2012 World Series—not the 2014 World Series when Stephen Strasburg's innings limit is a thing of the past and Bryce Harper has established himself as the offensive force we all believe he will be.

They will make it to the World Series this season.

The team has never made it to the World Series—or the playoffs for that matter—since the team moved to Washington from Montreal in 2005.

At 18-9, the Nationals are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers with the second-best record in the majors—the Tampa Bay Rays are 19-9.

April may have just ended, but the Nationals look very promising through 27 games.

The Nationals look like they're here to stay, and there's no doubt in my mind that they will be playing in the World Series in 2012.

Here are just a few reasons why.

Pitching, Pitching, Pitching And, Well, Pitching

Yes, Strasburg is on an innings limit this season.

Yes, general manager Mike Rizzo has been adamant about not messing with Strasburg's routine should the Nationals be in line for a playoff spot.

There's more talent besides Strasburg in that rotation, though.

Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann and even Ross Detwiler are pitching like Cy Young candidates—though it may be Strasburg's to lose, even with the innings limit—and Edwin Jackson provides solid performances every time he goes out.

The rotation owns an ERA of 2.12, the best in the majors, and has also struck out 144 batters, the fourth-best in the majors.

They are extremely dominant and help to keep games close for the Nationals.

Assuming Strasburg doesn't pitch in the postseason, imagine a three-game playoff set against Gonzalez, Zimmermann and Detwiler, all with ERAs under 3.50.

That seems to be a real possibility this season.

Bottom of the Ninth? No Problem.

The Nationals have been the second-best team in "clutch" situations this season, receiving a rating of 1.88 on FanGraphs.com.

What is a "clutch" situation?

Well, FanGraphs defines it as: “…how much better or worse a player does in high leverage situations than he would have done in a context neutral environment.”

With 2.0 being considered an "excellent" clutch rating, the Nationals are pretty solid when performing in high-leverage situations.

The key to winning games during the regular season—and especially during the postseason—is hitting when it matters.

A team down one with two runners on base and no outs in the bottom of the eighth or ninth inning needs to be able to squeeze at least one of those runners past home plate.

The Nationals have been able to do that through 27 games this season.

The Return of the Veterans

The Nationals have been able to do all of this winning without three of their key contributors—Ryan Zimmerman, Michael Morse and Drew Storen.

Zimmerman has been shelved since the end of April, though he figures to return within a few days.

He wasn't hitting particularly well before the injury—.224/.324/.345—but his numbers from previous seasons speak for themselves.

He is also undoubtedly the team's leader, so the Nationals could really use a healthy Zimmerman.

Morse has been sidelined with a strained right lat muscle since spring training, and he figures to miss at least another month before he returns to action.

The team's offensive leader in 2011, Morse made a name for himself as one of the more complete hitters in the NL East.

Storen established himself as one of the best closers in the National League in 2011, saving 43 games and posting a 2.75 ERA.

He has yet to pitch in a game this season, though, as an elbow injury has resulted in a trip to the disabled list.

Henry Rodriguez has done a decent job in his place, but there's no doubting that Storen is the more reliable option.

The presence of these three players will do wonders for a team that is already performing quite well.

A Little Goes a Long Way

The Nationals' offense may not score many runs—a problem that will be remedied when Zimmerman and Morse return—but they are scoring just enough runs to win games.

You only need to score one more run than the opponent, and that's the mantra the Nationals have been living by in 2012.

The team has already played in an inordinate amount of one-run games (14), of which nine have resulted in wins.

To take it even further, the Nationals have already played in 21 games decided by three runs or fewer, of which 14 have resulted in wins.

Much of this comes down to the team's ability to hit in the clutch, which I highlighted earlier, but much of it also comes from the team's outstanding pitching.

You don't see many blowout games in the postseason, and a team's ability to hang tough in close games is an important part of winning in October.

The Nationals don't only hang tough in those games, they win a vast majority of them. 

The Young Sluggers Are Slugging

Production from every member of the lineup, whether they be young or old, is key to making a playoff run.

Just take the 2011 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, for example.

Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman and Yadier Molina anchored a team with a solid mix of veteran leadership and young talent.

While each of the aforementioned players had a solid World Series, one could argue that the Cardinals would not have won without the efforts of David Freese and Allen Craig.

Freese had a phenomenal postseason, hitting .397/.465/.794 with five home runs and 21 RBI in the team's three series.

He performed so well that he even earned World Series MVP honors.

This season, Wilson Ramos, Danny Espinosa and super-prospect Bryce Harper have all performed well.

Ramos is beginning to hit a hot streak, Espinosa is slumping a bit and Harper has just been called up, but the three of them will likely carry the team on offense during most of the early going.

If they continue to produce, look for the Nationals to be well on their way to the World Series.