The holiday season is officially here, which means kids around the globe are fine-tuning their Christmas lists. Nationals fans are no different, so let’s run through what we would like to see in 2017 and beyond.
1. Stephen Strasburg’s elbow holds up for a full season.
The Nationals invested in him long-term, and he was dominant last year. But he is he also yet to crack 25 starts over each of the past two seasons, and has missed out on two of the Washington’s three playoff runs. The Nats need him healthy, so if that means taking a more creative approach with his workload, than that’s what needs to be done. Just make sure he is there in October.
2. Some sort of offense from the shortstop and first base positions.
The Nationals had an above-average offense last season, but that was in spite of the black holes at first base and shortstop. Danny Espinosa had one hot summer month, but then nosedived right past mediocrity for the remainder of the season. Zim was even worse; of the 26 first baseman with at least 450 plate appearances, Zimmerman ranked dead last in wRC+ – and it wasn’t close (Zim’s wRC+ of 67 was 20 percent worse than the next man in line, Mitch Moreland).
Espinosa does play very good defense, so he has some value (the same cannot be said for Zimmerman), but it becomes a lot harder to score when your bottom three hitters are the pitcher, and two guys who tend to hit like a pitcher. The Nats cannot expect either player to turnaround either. Espinosa has always been this type of player, and Zimmerman hasn’t provided a season worth two wins above replacement since 2013. Free agent options at first include Edwin Encarnacion and Mark Trumbo. There are many choices at shortstop, but with Trea Turner able to shift from center field to shortstop, outfield options also open up upgrade possibilities.
3. Bryce Harper to stop trying to pull everything.
I know Harper has a violent, herky-jerky swing. But if you go back and watch highlights of him from 2015 vs. 2016, there is one difference – his front side seemed to be bailing out in 2016.
Even on his home runs this past season, he would still step in the bucket, and fade away from the plate as if he was trying to pull everything. What makes Harper so great is his raw power to all fields; he doesn’t need to cheat to hit it out. That didn’t translate to 2016.
4. At least one top-end arm in the back of the bullpen
Closer Mark Melancon is a free agent. It would be nice if GM Mike Rizzo could retain him (1.80 ERA the last four seasons across 290 innings), but there are other other options on the market (Kenley Jansen, Aroldis Chapman). Regardless, the Nationals bullpen needs help. There aren’t many trustworthy guys back there, and even though Dusty Baker has proven to be masterful with his relievers, one Melancon-type arm would go a long way.
5. A better bench outfielder.
The Nationals had a respectable bench last season. Still, the outfield options were not great, and with Jayson Werth turning 38 in May, and Harper always prone to running into a wall, the Nats need to make sure a legitimate replacement is waiting in the wings. One target Washington has been linked to is Brandon Moss. Moss smacked 28 homers last year in St. Louis, and provides depth at both first base and the corner outfield spots.
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