6 Nationals
CONTENDERS
SCOUT'S TAKE
KEY QUESTION
Who will they be post-Bryce Harper? They have two impact kids, Juan Soto and Víctor Robles, who could be the stars. When I saw Soto last year I told people that he's going to be better than Harper. We hear a lot about Vlad Guerrero Jr., but Soto's only four months older and has already made an impact.
UNDERRATED
Anthony Rendon has got a quiet approach, a great gap-to-gap damage guy. He's adjusted to playing third—another guy to step up with Harper gone. He'll be a free agent, and someone asked him about Scott Boras as his agent, and he said, 'Well, Boras works for me.' I love that. He wants to stay in Washington.
OVERRATED
Stephen Strasburg shows unhittable stuff some days and then you wonder if you're it's the same guy the next start. You always hoped a little bit of Max Scherzer would have rubbed off on him, but leopards don't change their spots.
LAST LICKS
Sitting next to Joe Maddon for 10 years doesn't make you smart. Dave Martinez got outmanaged a lot.... Trevor Rosenthal is throwing 99, a big addition to the bullpen.... Pitching gives them the edge over Philly, but the window's closing.
THE PAYOFF PITCH
EVEN AFTER losing Bryce Harper, the Nationals are still playoff contenders in the NL East, thanks to their front-line pitching talent, especially a star-laden rotation bolstered by free-agent pickup Patrick Corbin. Replacing Harper in the outfield, an undeniably daunting task, will be rookie Víctor Robles. Robles, who missed three months last season with a hyperextended left elbow, has already hit .277/.337/.506 in two brief stretches in the majors. At ages 20 and 21, he had a .373 OBP in the upper levels of the minors, with 25 steals in just 77 games. Robles is a top 10 prospect with the complete set of leadoff skills: speed, the ability to hit for average and good plate discipline. He also happens to be a plus defensive outfielder, a boon for a Washington team that, partly due to injuries, did a poor job of turning fly balls into outs last season.
OVER UNDER
89.5
Losing Bryce Harper hurts, but adding Patrick Corbin helps. Despite better health and full seasons from Juan Soto and Víctor Robles, the Nats will fall short of the postseason.
LINEUP
RF Adam Eaton
.301/.394 OBP/.411 SLG
SS Trea Turner
.271/19 HR/43 SB
3B Anthony Rendon
.308/24 HR/92 RBI
LF Juan Soto
.292/22 HR/.405 OBP
1B Ryan Zimmerman
.264/.337 OBP/.486 SLG
2B Brian Dozier
.215/21 HR/12 SB
C Yan Gomes
.266/.313 OBP/.449 SLG
CF Víctor Robles
.288/.348 OBP/.525 SLG
BENCH
C Kurt Suzuki
.271/.332 OBP/.444 SLG
1B/OF Matt Adams
.239/21 HR/.477 SLG
FANTASY BREAKOUT
Patrick Corbin's slider just keeps getting better. With plenty of run support in D.C., he'll be an elite pitcher.
ROTATION
RH Max Scherzer
18 W/2.53 ERA/.911 WHP
LH Patrick Corbin
11 W/3.15 ERA/1.05 WHP
RH Stephen Strasburg
10 W/3.74 ERA/10.8 K9
RH Aníbal Sánchez
7 W/2.83 ERA/1.08 WHP
BULLPEN
CL Sean Doolittle
25 SV/1.60 ERA/12 K9
RH Trevor Rosenthal
3.40 ERA/1.20 WHP/14.3 K9*
RH Kyle Barraclough
4.20 ERA/1.33 WHP/9.7 K9
MANAGER
Dave Martinez
*Stats from 2017