Friday, April 4, 2008

Washington Nationals

Ok, I know what you're thinking. You read the title and think to yourself: "What could possibly be about the Washington Nationals and worth reading at the same time?"

Well, the fact that the Nationals will finish the 2008 season with a better record than the Atlanta Braves is about the only thing I can think of. And it's about to happen. I was astounded at the number of ESPN experts, Peter Gammons among them, that think that the Braves are the team to beat in the N.L. East. Gammons even has Atlanta in the World Series! Now, I might be a bigger Peter Gammons fan than I am a baseball fan, and that says a lot. But Pete and I will have to agree to disagree on this one, big time.

Now, I know what you're thinking - "Dude, we're four games into the year. Chill, moron." That's true. I'm not saying that the Nats' lead in the division is gonna last much longer. But I am saying that I wouldn't necessarily be surprised if it does. The biggest hole in this argument is starting pitching, that's obvious. When your staff is headed by Odalis Perez, you might have some trouble. But it's not out of the ordinary for pitchers who have struggled in season's past to have a breakout year. Perez could easily be one of those guys. He has experience in the National League on some winning teams. So hey, there are worse places to start.

The other spots on the roster are vastly improved. Elijah Dukes, Lastings Milledge and Austin Kearns are more than capable of putting up better-than-average numbers in the NL. I would venture to argue that if Dukes and Milledge can play to their potential (an opportunity they have yet to be provided with until now) you could be looking at one of the better outfield tandems in the league. The infield is equally under the radar. Ryan Zimmerman is an all-star caliber third baseman and Christian Guzman, Ron Belliard and Nick Johnson/Dimitri Young round out a respectable supporting cast. Paul LoDuca and Johnny Estrada will likely each see time behind the plate, and that veteran leadership should provide help to the staff and in the clubhouse.

And I haven't even mentioned Nationals Park, the team's new $611 million facility.


If that doesn't boost the team morale, I don't suppose that anything will.

Remember, I'm not saying these guys are headed to the playoffs. I'm just saying they're gonna surprise a lot of people. Especially the Atlanta Braves.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

haha, you are so full of shit. smoltz is 48 but will have half as many wins as his age. hampton is on the DL already, hasnt made a start since 2005 and can still pitch around the shitty ass nationals. mexy texy will blast bombs all year. and dont get me started on chipper, probably one of the top 10 3rd baseman of all time. guaranteed hall of famer, quote me on that.

you finally wrote an article that was truly horrible in content. i have to comment on something as atrocious as this.

-Byrd

Brandon Staton said...

of course, of multitudes that have already read this, brian would be the first to come forward and tell me how stupid i am. so all of you file this one away and don't forget about it come september. byrd is famous for his outrageous predicitons, like the fact that he would never fall from first place in our annual fantasy basketball league. i gotta give it to this guy. he's a true atlanta brave...leading the league all season, then choking when it really counts :)

Unknown said...

im still in first bro, with all my games maxed out except PG. quinn and arenas will lead my team to fantasy basketball hof.