Power Ranking the Washington Nationals' Most Important Players in the Playoffs

The Washington Nationals are well on their way to their first playoff appearance in franchise history. Entering play on Friday, Washington sits at 89-54 with the best record in baseball.

At 8.5 games up in the National League East over the Atlanta Braves, it would take a Braves-like collapse to give up the lead with just 19 regular-season games remaining.

All that being said, it's time to start examining them as a legitimate playoff threat.

Without ace Stephen Strasburg, Washington is surely not as strong as they could be. Even without him, they have an extremely well-constructed team.

Several individuals have experienced great seasons in 2012, but some of these players will be more important to the team than others. Here's how the top 10 of such players breaks down.

10. Drew Storen

What's a good postseason team without a shutdown bullpen?

The Nationals did a small shuffle at the back end of their bullpen when Drew Storen returned from injury, turning him into the setup man rather than the closer he was last season.

In 27 games this season, Storen has pitched pretty well. His 3.00 ERA is respectable, as are his 16 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched.

He'll have to mitigate the damage in the postseason, and striking out a few more batters here and there would certainly help. His regular-season numbers have been relatively pedestrian, but he'll definitely need to be spectacular in the playoffs.

He's a very important piece to the Nationals' playoff run.

9. Danny Espinosa

Don't get me wrong here; I'm well aware that Danny Espinosa has been nothing special this season.

His .255/.321/.416 line is mediocre, as are his 16 home runs and 55 RBI. He provides good speed with 19 stolen bases, but that number doesn't make up for his league-leading 165 strikeouts.

Even so, he has improved from his line of .236/.323/.414 from a season ago, and has been a pretty consistent bat for the Nats this season.

If he can limit his strikeouts in the playoffs, Espinosa will be a nice complementary piece to the lineup. He could very well hurt the team if he doesn't fix this recurring issue.

The Nationals can get by without a vast improvement from their second baseman, but their lineup depth would greatly increase if he cuts down on the strikeouts.

8. Ian Desmond

Simply put, Ian Desmond has exceeded all expectations placed upon him this season.

Entering play on Friday, he owns a line of .295/.331/.522 with 23 home runs, 67 RBI and 17 stolen bases.

His consistency this season will leave the team with much less worry about him in the postseason than they would have had in his previous seasons, but that doesn't undermine his importance to the team's offensive attack.

No matter what role he plays on the team—run-producer, table-setter or base-stealer—his impact is felt on the lineup.

Provided he keeps his consistency up into the postseason, the Nationals could be on their way to a deep run.

7. Bryce Harper

If hype played a role in all this, Bryce Harper would be ranked within the top three of this power ranking. Seeing as he's really been nothing more than a complementary player this season, he slots in at No. 7.

By no stretch of the imagination has he performed poorly this season—it's unfair to expect more from a player who's just 19 years old.

In 465 at-bats this season, he's produced a line of .262/.335/.454 with 18 home runs and 49 RBI. 

His skill set and power potential give him the ability to be a real difference-maker in the playoffs. Home runs in the postseason can easily change the complexion of a game, so having Harper on a hot streak come October will be a key.

If he indeed gets hot, look for Harper to be a candidate for NLDS, NLCS or even World Series MVP.

6. Jayson Werth

Jayson Werth has transformed himself into a quality leadoff man this season, though he's not your typical leadoff type.

Regardless, he's getting on base at a .399 clip. With him getting on base nearly 40 percent of the time, the big bats in the Nationals lineup have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs.

While he has just four stolen bases, Werth runs pretty well and can easily take the extra base on a ball hit to the outfield.

Intangibles like getting on base and running from first to third on a single are the types of things that make otherwise normal players heroes in the postseason. If Werth can continue doing what he's been doing, he could be that type of player. 

5. Tyler Clippard

Tyler Clippard's performance as the team's closer this season is why Storen did not regain his role when he returned from the disabled list.

He has recorded 31 saves while striking out 78 men in just 65 innings. While his 3.18 ERA is a little high for a closer, that's the result of a few outings where he allowed several runs.

Clippard's dominance will have to continue in the postseason if the Nationals are to make a push for the World Series.

The Nationals have enjoyed strong offensive outbursts lately, but they are not the type of team that can sustain that sort of offensive output. They generally play a lot of close games, making Clippard's role all that more important.

They say that the last three outs are the hardest three to get, and that saying obviously gains even more credibility in the postseason. Clippard will have to rise to the challenge.

4. Adam LaRoche

Adam LaRoche has come back strong from an injury-riddled 2011 campaign that saw him play just 43 games.

Batting in the middle of the Nationals lineup nearly all season, LaRoche has smashed 29 home runs while driving in 92. He's on pace to set career highs in both categories—he hit 32 home runs in 2006 and drove in 100 in 2010.

LaRoche has been the team's most consistent presence at the plate this season, and his dominance in the batter's box will have to continue into the postseason. Without LaRoche being right at the plate, the lineup gets exponentially weaker.

He's currently enjoying a nice stretch at the plate; so, there's a good chance that he enters the postseason on a high note.

3. Ryan Zimmerman

Ryan Zimmerman, the Nationals' best player, will be the most important position player for the team in the postseason.

Zimmerman has been playing on a winning team for the first time in his eight-year career in Washington, and there's no doubt that he will be given an adrenaline boost in his first postseason action.

This season, he's hit .287/.354/.481 with 22 home runs and 84 RBI in 127 games. Had he not been injured early on, we could potentially be talking about him as a National League MVP candidate.

Any player with that sort of potential is obviously important to his team, and seeing as he just signed a major extension prior to this season, he'll be looking to capitalize by bringing his team to the World Series.

2. Jordan Zimmermann

Jordan Zimmermann has struggled a bit of late, but there's no denying his importance to the pitching staff. With Strasburg now on the shelf for the rest of the season, his ability to shut down opposing hitters becomes that much more important.

His 3.01 ERA and 1.166 WHIP are very impressive numbers. His ability to limit the damage this season has been a key to his breakout campaign. His 10-8 record isn't great, but that's simply a product of not getting much run support.

In a short playoff series without the team's "ace," Zimmermann will have to step up and pitch like the ace that the Nationals think he can be.

He was arguably the team's best pitcher for several months this summer, so there's no reason to believe that he won't perform well.

If Zimmermann struggles at all, though, don't expect the Nationals to go very far.

1. Gio Gonzalez

Gio Gonzalez is now the ace of the staff going forward.

He most definitely deserves such a title, as his 19 wins lead all of baseball. He's struck out 191 batters in 181.1 innings, and has also posted a 2.93 ERA.

He's been well worth the package it took to pry him away from the Oakland Athletics, and general manager Mike Rizzo must be very pleased with the end results of the deal.

If Gonzalez does not perform well in the postseason, though, there's nearly no chance of the Nationals advancing. He has been arguably the top pitcher in baseball this season, and he is an invaluable member of the Nationals.

Assuming he pitches like he has all season, the Nationals will be in great shape going forward.