Playing Pepper 2009: Washington Nationals

As the players start getting themselves ready for another season, I thought it'd be a good idea to do the same. I contacted a blogger for each major league team and posted them five questions. This is the result. You can find the tentative schedule of teams here and today's main post is right here.

We finish up the Eastern divisions with a look at the team playing in our nation's capital.

Can you believe this will be the fifth season of baseball in Washington? It still doesn't seem like it's been that long since the Expos were still in business. Unfortunately, the move has resurrected the old joke (modified for current conditions): "Washington. First in war, first in peace, last in the National League."

The Nats have a beautiful new ballpark, some interesting players, and some devoted fans. Two of those are Kristen and Stephanie from the blog We've Got Heart. I talked to the girls about the upcoming season and that new big bat in their outfield.

C70: Who will make up the Nationals rotation and what do we know about them?

WGH-K: John Lannan is probably a guarantee.  He had an excellent rookie season (3.91 ERA).  Don't look at his 9-15 record.  He had absolutely no run support to work with all season, despite 21 quality starts.  Scott Olsen is new to the Nationals, but he'll make the rotation after his success with the Marlins. 

Daniel Cabrera just came to the Nationals from the Orioles so fans in the region are pretty familiar with him.  He throws hard but has been pretty erratic.  We'll see.  We like the other lefty, Odalis Perez (4.34, 7-12).  He was fairly consistent and usually kept us in the game.

There are a handful of guys fighting for those extra spots including Shawn Hill (if he can overcome injuries), Collin Balester (who had a decent rookie season last year) and top prospect Jordan Zimmerman.

C70: How do you feel about the Dunn signing?

WGH-S: The Nationals surprised me with this signing.  I'm happy with the deal.  His 40 home runs a season are more than our whole lineup hit last year combined.  Having him bat behind Zimmerman will also be a huge help.  Hopefully Ryan's numbers will improve also.  Since we already have a pretty full outfield, Dunn will likely play first base. The Nats will probably look to trade Nick Johnson.  For two years and $20 million, I think the Nationals made a good deal to bring Adam to DC.

C70: Is Ryan Zimmerman the face of the franchise?

WGH-K: Yes, which is why it's inconceivable that they took him to arbitration and still haven't worked out a long term deal. 

He's going to be great and he's one of the only players that fans in D.C. have really watched develop.  He group up close to DC, attended UVA and generally seems to consider the region "home".  He has a powerful personal narrative and consistently receives praise for his maturity and leadership, both on and off the field. 

His numbers weren't as wonderful in '08 as in '07 and '06, but he spent some time on the DL.  You have to also appreciate his sparkling defense, night in and night out.  He's a treat to watch and he's only 24 years old.  He is, indeed, the face of the franchise.

C70: Due to proximity and other factors, I'd guess that the Orioles are the most natural "rivals" for Washington.  Who is considered the biggest NL rival for the Nationals?

WGH-K: I'd say the Phillies, even more-so than the Orioles. 

Phillies fans pack the stadium when we host them at our park.  Not all Phillies fans are terrible, but they have a reputation and many of the fans do live up to that reputation.  There's also a running history of some tense moments against the Phillies. 

Lannan hit [Chase] Utley and [Ryan] Howard in his debut, broke Utley's hand and got ejected.  Near the end of '08, Utley plowed over our catcher, Jesus Flores, in a sort-of dirty play stealing home.  They play tough, but there seem to be a lot of close calls, hard slides and players getting hit by pitches when we face the Phillies.

WGH-S:  The Orioles.  That rivalry doesn't seem to be as strong as it is in other cities, but there is a lot of lingering frustration with the Orioles in terms of preventing baseball from returning to Washington.

C70: What can we expect from Austin Kearns in 2009?

WGH-K:  I don't expect much. 

Ha!  I don't know if it's a struggle or if Austin was over-hyped to us by Jim Bowden when he arrived, but it has not been a great experience.  As a person, he seems like a wonderful guy.  Everybody says he plays the game the right way.  But the numbers just haven't been there during his time here.  At this point, he is fighting to be a starter in a crowded, young outfield.

WGH-S:  I agree with Kristen, with so many young guys fighting for an outfield spot this year, I will be surprised if Austin makes it as the everyday right fielder.  There is no question he's got some great fielding instincts, but as Kristen said he has been over-hyped here and just hasn't been able to put up the numbers.  It's a shame, really, because he seems to be a stand up guy.

Thanks to both Kristen and Stephanie for their answers.  The Nationals are going to have a tough road to go down if they are going to be in contention, not only for '09 but for future years.  Hopefully they'll be able to develop a team that gets them closer to the top of the division than the bottom.