Jan 21, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals manager Matt Williams (left) shakes hands with Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (right) during a press conference introducing Scherzer as a member of the Nationals at Nationals Park. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Nationals led the National League with 96 wins last season and won the NL East title for the second time in three years.
And now they may be even better, at least when it comes to the long haul of 162 games. What remains to be seen is if the Nationals, should they advance to postseason play in 2015, have the right approach at the plate in situational hitting, and a strong enough bullpen, to advance.
Washington, already with a formidable rotation, pulled a coup when it signed free agent right-hander Max Scherzer in January.
The St. Louis native came up through the Arizona farm system, and his Double-A manager for part of the 2007 season in Mobile, Ala., was Matt Williams, the current Washington manager getting ready for his second season.
Williams recalls a game in which he went to the mound and told Scherzer he had three pitches left before his limit of 100. Scherzer then fanned the next batter on three fastballs in the high 90s.
“It allows us to have a better chance of winning,” Williams said of signing Scherzer. “Max wants to win. We are anxious to get to spring training. I know he is.”
General manager Mike Rizzo said, “We could not be happier to add a player of Max’s caliber to our stable of starting pitchers. It’s not every day that a team adds a Cy Young Award winner to its roster. He is a playoff-tested ace, and we’re excited to call him a part of our family.”
Veteran reliever Craig Stammen was surprised the Nationals were able to acquire Scherzer.
“He is one of those guys you can spend a lot for because he will make the team better,” Stammen said. “He gives us a legitimate shot to win the World Series.”
However, one of many questions is the bullpen, where Drew Storen is slated to be the closer after he took over that role from Rafael Soriano in early September. Storen had 11 saves down the stretch and was the closer in 2011, when he had 43 saves.
The bigger concern may be the setup role, as fan favorite Tyler Clippard was traded in January to the Oakland A’s for second baseman Yunel Escobar. Clippard is a two-time All-Star who was among the best in the business in maintaining eighth-inning leads. He led the league with 40 holds last season.
The Nationals went out and signed former Toronto closer Casey Janssen in February in hopes that he can handle the eighth inning.
Other candidates to pitch at the back end of games are lefty Matt Thornton, signed in August after he was with the New York Yankees; lefty Jerry Blevins; righty Aaron Barrett, who made his major league debut last year; and right-hander Tanner Roark, a solid starter last season who won 15 games.
A wild card could be righty A.J. Cole, who has yet to appear in the big leagues but is one of the best prospects in the Washington system. He was a starter in the minors, but he throws hard enough to aid the Washington bullpen.
In addition, there were other changes: Bryce Harper will move to right field, Jayson Werth will switch to left, and long-time third baseman Ryan Zimmerman will take over at first as free agent Adam LaRoche left for the Chicago White Sox.
The Nationals have continuity up the middle. Silver Slugger and team leader Ian Desmond returns at shortstop. Wilson Ramos is the top catcher again, and center fielder Denard Span is coming off a career year.
