Shooting for the Stars: The 2009 Nationals Look To Escape the Cellar of the MLB

As the temperature increases, so does the anticipation for spring training and the upcoming 2009 season. So I decided now is as good a time as any to preview the team everyone hates to love; the one and lowly Washington Nationals.

After an abysmal 2008 season finishing dead last in the majors, the Nats are looking to turn things around. So we begin our journey at the top of the organization:

1. Ownership/Management: Being a huge Reds fan, I want to give Jim Bowden the benefit of the doubt but after losing season after losing season you have to raise the point that it may be time for a new GM that’s not as eager to sign players notorious for off the field problems (Elijah Dukes). I have to admit I am impressed with some of his more recent signings such as Ross Detwiler, Lastings Milledge, Jordan Zimmerman, and Josh Smoker. I am a little surprised at their lack of moves this offseason especially with Adam Dunn and Orlando Hudson still on the market. If they wait until spring training starts and these players are still unsigned there’s a good possibility they could sign both for less than $20 million per year. I like Kasten as team president, he has a good track record with the Braves and the upcoming season has a lot of potential.
2. Players: The thing the Nats really do have is a slew of up and coming players who should see playing time this season. As I mentioned earlier LHP Ross Detweiler will be a stud and OF Chris Marrero will be sure to put fans in the seats. Then there are the obvious question marks: Can 1B Nick Johnson stay healthy and blossom into the player everyone expected so many years ago, and can 3B Ryan  Zimmerman produce as his  production was lagging towards the end of the season. The outfield is young and full of talent I especially like Josh Willingham and Wily Mo Pena and I am expecting them to put up decent numbers.  The infield defensively is a bit of a mess with Cristian Guzman not anywhere near able to cover as much range as he did in his younger years and if the Nats are able to sign Orlando Hudson, their middle infield will be drastically improved. Not too mention they could use the extra bat.
3. Fans: Despite opening a brand new $611 million park the Nats still wound up ranking 20th in the league in attendance. The key to turning this around is very simple: win. Washington DC. is notorious for having a die hard fanbase (Hogettes) and if the Nats can start winning they’ll develop a stronger following which leads to increased  sales, better marketing, etc. The key thing to remember is that the ballclub is still a business and the objective is to make money and clearly the Nats need to rethink their business model.  I suggest creating a marketing campaign geared towards fans ie family night and then the Nationals can expect to turn a profit and can then go after bigger names on the free agent market.

And that concludes my analysis for the upcoming season. Whether you agree with my points or not we can all agree on one thing: the only place the Nats can go is up.