Tuesday, October 03, 2006
The Season in Review- Washington Nationals
The Nationals had a very frustrating season in their 2nd year in Washington. They fell to the bottom of the NL East early, and stayed below 3rd place for the entire season. This was one year after finishing at exactly .500 with an 81-81 record, but the hope for a good 2006 team that last year created was quickly thrown away.
Without Alfonso Soriano, though, things could have been much worse. Soriano had a great year, slugging 46 home runs, driving in 95 runs, and stealing 41 bases. He had a decent outfield debut, finishing with a league-leading 22 outfield assists. The downside to his move to the outfield was that he was tied for 2nd in the majors with 11 outfield errors. Only Cincinnati Reds’ Adam Dunn had more errors in the outfield, with 12. While his errors have cost the Nationals at times, his 22 outfield assists and explosive offense have definitely made up for it.
The only one who could really compare with Soriano’s offense was rookie 3rd baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who hit .287 with 20 homers and 110 RBI. Zimmerman, who showed great promise last year with a .397 average in 58 at bats, is one of the top candidates for the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
What really hurt Washingon was their pitching, which combined for a 5.03 ERA, last in the National League and 28th in the majors. They didn’t even have a true ace; John Patterson was supposed to be the leader of the rotation, but he spent most of the year injured, and had a 4.43 ERA in 40.2 innings. Besides him, their best starters were Michael O’Connor (3-8, 4.80 ERA) and Tony Armas (9-12, 5.03 ERA). Their bullpen was decent, but not certainly not one of the top bullpens in the majors. Their closer was Chad Cordero, who picked up 29 saves in 33 chances, but with an ERA of 3.19. John Rauch (3.35 ERA) and Saul Rivera (3.43 ERA) showed promise as well.
Unfortunately for the Nationals, they don’t have much to look forward to, especially in pitching prospects. The only way they are going to put together a decent rotation is through free agency and trades, and not from their minor league system.
If Ryan Zimmerman keeps getting better and Nick Johnson stays with the team, they can have a pretty decent lineup. Picking up a key batter in the off season to replace Soriano is also important to the Nationals success in 2007.
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