NL East Offseason Rankings: #2 Washington Nationals

I said at the beginning of this series, that this division was probably the hardest of all in the MLB to distinguish between 3-5 and also 1-2. The bottom three teams could be in any particular order, and the either of the top two teams have a chance to win. However, I feel like the Washington Nationals, with new manager Matt Williams will come up just short, and possibly make the playoffs in a wild card position.

Doug Fister has postseason experience
that a lot of the Nats players need.

What sets the Nationals so far apart from the previously 3 listed teams? Easy. Pitching. Their staff, as a whole is among the top 10 in the league in ERA (8th), quality starts (9th), and WHIP (4th). The top part of their starting rotation alone, made of Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman, and Stephen Strasburg, is good enough to sweep any three game series they come to. Add to that rotation a #4 Doug Fister. Yes, Doug Fister is lower in this rotation than he was in Detroit! Those guys alone can almost guarantee 12-15 wins EACH.

Then we move to the bullpen. Say that the team decides that they need the bullpen to work, for some odd reason. They have a closer in Rafael Soriano that has been a solid closer, haveing 40 saves in 3 of the past 4 seasons. Add to him Drew Storen, a guy that has had an ERA over 3 one time in his short career, and Craig Stammen, who has had ERAs the past two seasons of 2.34 and 2.76, it sounds like the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings are pretty much safe when it comes to this team.

Where most teams at the bottom of the division have a hitter or two, this team has a lineup full of guys that can just simply hit. It's scary when you look at it top to bottom and see little to no holes. They have speed at the top of the lineup with Denard Span, then guys like Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmerman, and Ian Desmond. Any holes there? No. Wilson Ramos will catch for the team and he will hit .275 and 15 home runs and then Danny Espinosa will NOT struggle like he did last season.

It's scary to look at a team as good as this and believe they can finish in second place in their division, but come September, I see them flying into the playoffs with a wildcard birth and still a contender for a World Series Title.