'MLBDepthCharts Magazine' includes this roster projection feature but includes additional info, such as player age, 2011 level and stats, 2012 salary and contract info in an easy-to-read, printer-friendly pdf file and excel spreadsheet.
*40-man roster total (40)
*Projected 2012 Payroll: est. $84,371,000, according to MLBDC Magazine
OPENING DAY ROSTER(*indicates left-handed batter **indicates switch-hitter)
Starting Lineup (Click HERE to see last 7 lineups)
Position Players 1B Chris MarreroBA#9 BP#12+UPDATE 4/3 - placed on 60-Day DL (torn hamstring)
CF Rick Ankiel* +UPDATE 4/3 - placed on 15-Day DL, retroactive to March 28th (strained quad) LF Michael Morse+UPDATE 4/3 - placed on 15-Day DL, retroactive to March 26th (strained lat)
Pitchers
RHP Cole KimballBA#23UPDATE 4/3 - placed on 60-Day DL (rotator cuff surgery); likely out until mid-2012
RHP Drew Storen+UPDATE 4/3 - placed on 15-Day DL, retroactive to March 26th (elbow soreness)
RHP Chien-Ming Wang+UPDATE 4/3 - placed on 15-Day DL, retroactive to March 26th (strained hamstring)
WASHINGTON NATIONALS OFFSEASON PREVIEWposted 9/20/2011
The Nats were reportedly in hot pursuit of a center fielder/leadoff hitter at the trade deadline and things aren't expected to change this offseason. Denard Span could once again be a trade target. Coco Crisp is one free agent possibility. Despite his potential, I wouldn't expect Roger Bernadina to get another shot as a starting outfielder in Washington. Jayson Werth is capable of handling a move to center field but that would still leave a void in the leadoff spot. Shortstop Ian Desmond, who has a .292 OBP and 131 strikeouts, has been the primary leadoff hitter over the past few weeks. There is no question what the top priority (and maybe only priority in regards to the lineup) will be this offseason, although I would expect them to bring in two or three veterans to fill out the bench.
First baseman Adam LaRoche's impending return from labrum surgery has pushed slugger Michael Morse to left field, where he'll be playing on a regular basis in 2012. That duo should be hitting behind third baseman Ryan Zimmermanin the middle of the lineup. If Danny Espinosa and Wilson Ramos can gain some consistency in their second full season as big league starters, the sky is the limit for the offense. Espinosa had 16 HR and 52 RBI at the All-Star break but only 3 HR and 9 RBI since. Ramos, who had a .973 OPS in April and has a .977 OPS this month, also has a sub-.285 OBP in three different months. While Desmond's ceiling isn't as high, he has a .746 OPS in the second half compared to .572 in the first half. Of course, everyone wants to know when top prospect Bryce Harper will arrive in the big leagues. Even at 19 years old, I wouldn't count him out for 2012. He's that good. But early 2013 is probably more likely. This year's top pick, Anthony Rendon, could also be ready around the same time but the Nats need to decide which position he'll be playing since it won't be third base as long as Zimmerman is around.
Zimmermann gives the Nats two potential aces. Picture courtesy of Icon Sports Media, Inc.
Fronted by ace Stephen Strasburg, the rotation has a chance to be very good. Yes, even good enough to compete with the Phillies in the NL East. Jordan Zimmermann had a breakout season, posting a 3.18 ERA in 26 starts. The same could be said about Brad Peacock, who started the season by dominating Double-A hitters (2.01 ERA, 98.1 IP, 23 BB, 129K) before a solid stint in Triple-A and eventual major league call-up. The 23 year-old has a good chance to stick in the rotation in 2012. Having to face soft-tossing lefty John Lannan after facing one of the hard-throwing right-handers could give teams problems, although opposing hitters will probably be ecstatic to face him instead. A number of candidates will be in the mix for one of the final rotation spots, including Tom Miloneand Ross Detwiler, who have each had some good moments over the past few weeks.
Like the starting rotation, the bullpen is deep and has plenty of candidates for a few spots that are up for grabs. Drew Storen figures to close again with Tyler Clippard the primary setup man and Sean Burnett the preferred left-hander to enter with the game on the line. Collin Balester has posted solid numbers in middle relief and Tom Gorzelanny has done a good job since being moved out of the rotation. Henry Rodriguez continues to be an enigma, however. Out of options, he'll be on the bubble this offseason. While he can bring the 100 mph heat and has done a decent job of limiting the amount of runs scored against him (3.69 ERA), his 45 BB in 61 innings is unacceptable. Bringing in one reliable veteran to help in a setup/middle relief role wouldn't be a bad idea but they do have some young pitchers (Ryan Mattheus, Ryan Tatusko, Josh Wilkie) that could contribute next season.
•UPDATE 11/3 - Chien-Ming Wang has agreed to a new deal, pending a physical. The 31 year-old had a 4.04 ERA in 11 starts after being activated from the DL late in the season. •UPDATE 12/22 - After a surprisingly quiet start to the offseason, the Nats have acquired lefty starter Gio Gonzalez from the A's for catcher Derek Norris and pitchers Brad Peacock, Tom Milone, and A.J. Cole.
Offseason Needs: Center Fielder, Bullpen Potential Position Battle: TBD
Nationals only have 2 left handed bats in the lineup so if they aquire a centerfielder would it be in their best interest to find one who is either a switch hitter or left handed?
Most definitely. Good to balance out the lineup. Espinosa and LaRoche would be the only two lefties, otherwise. They could go after Upton but I'm assuming they'd prefer a lefty or switch-hitter.
GM Rizzo's $1 mil signing of Cameron proves Harper will be with the Nationals this year. Cameron has won 3 Gold Gloves and wrote a book titled "It Takes a Team: Mike Cameron", He's a model citizen and a great baseball guy. He will be a great mentor for Harper and they will both be in Washington from Day 1. Harper bats 2nd with speed on in front of him and Zimmerman protecting him moving Werth to 7th in a now more powerful lineup. Improves the lineup considerably with a R-L-R-L-R front of the order and a more productive lineup
Lannan has 2 years left before free agency, but he could make around $7M in 2012-13. If they think he's an upgrade to what Turner, Oliver, Wilk, Below, or Crosby can do in 2012-13, they could go after him. I think filling the rotation with one of the young guys makes more sense, though.
I still think he's a June call-up, despite what Johnson says. He could be up earlier if the team is struggling and he's hitting well in AAA. With Harper, I'd probably project this lineup:
No need to hit him any higher than 6th or 7th to start with. Espinosa and Ramos might be one of the best duo of 7-8 hitters around. Harper will probably be hitting 3rd or 4th by the time he's 22 years old, if not sooner.
New to your site. Really like it. You seem to stay on top of almost all new changes. FYI I did see on the Nats site that Johnson has named Morse his cleanup hitter.
I think the last bench player on most team's can go in a lot of different directions. They have a few guys with different skills to offer. I like Carroll as a right-handed hitter who can play CF to mix in with the two lefties (Ankiel, Bernadina). They could also let Werth play CF with Mark DeRosa playing RF against LHP's.
So there's some flexibility there but it really comes down to spring training performance. Teahen was awful last season so he'll need to prove himself when he's in the lineup in March.
Why dont the nats sign Johnny damon to play LF despite what they say about how he cant field. He was originally signed in Tampa Bay to play LF. That would move Morse to 1B and the nats can trade Lannan+LaRoche to Toronto for Rajai Davis.
Was Jason Michaels even re-assigned to AAA? All I've read is a tweet from Bill Ladson saying he won't make the 25 man, and then said he'd be willing to accept an assignment to AAA. So no actual move yet and he could still be released to prevent him from getting that 100K reassignment bonus.
Similar to Jeff Francis, saying he'd okay an assignment if it came down to it but no actual move has been made.
Posts
26 comments :
Nationals only have 2 left handed bats in the lineup so if they aquire a centerfielder would it be in their best interest to find one who is either a switch hitter or left handed?
Most definitely. Good to balance out the lineup. Espinosa and LaRoche would be the only two lefties, otherwise. They could go after Upton but I'm assuming they'd prefer a lefty or switch-hitter.
They just found Ramos. Thank goodness!
Shouldn't Harper be BP and BA No. 1?
Yup. Thanks!
Do you think Lannon will be traded? There is no sense in keeping him around because Detwiler has more potiential
I think they'll try. Not sure he has that much value, though. I'd like to see Detwiler in that rotation.
GM Rizzo's $1 mil signing of Cameron proves Harper will be with the Nationals this year. Cameron has won 3 Gold Gloves and wrote a book titled "It Takes a Team: Mike Cameron", He's a model citizen and a great baseball guy. He will be a great mentor for Harper and they will both be in Washington from Day 1. Harper bats 2nd with speed on in front of him and Zimmerman protecting him moving Werth to 7th in a now more powerful lineup. Improves the lineup considerably with a R-L-R-L-R front of the order and a more productive lineup
The Tigers could take Lannan, although it depends on his contract status. I'd only want him if he's under contract for 1-2 years.
Lannan has 2 years left before free agency, but he could make around $7M in 2012-13. If they think he's an upgrade to what Turner, Oliver, Wilk, Below, or Crosby can do in 2012-13, they could go after him. I think filling the rotation with one of the young guys makes more sense, though.
Jason, take the leap! Davey Johnson said he wants Harper to make the team out of Spring Training... I know you want to put him in your line-up.
How about this, where would you put him in the line-up if you inserted him?
Cheers, Ryan
I still think he's a June call-up, despite what Johnson says. He could be up earlier if the team is struggling and he's hitting well in AAA. With Harper, I'd probably project this lineup:
Desmond
Werth
Zimmerman
LaRoche
Morse
Espinosa
Harper
Ramos
Just not a big fan of rushing a young player and possibly setting him up for failure.
Interesting in the 7-hole.
Well with everything that we've heard ad naseum about his attitude, maybe a little bout of reality/failure could do wonders for him in the long run.
(I'd also love to see Morse in clean-up, he's a monster and would benefit with the support behind him.)
I'd love to see this line-up eventually:
Desmond
Harper
Zimmerman
Morse
Werth
LaRoche
Espinosa
Ramos
Formidable
No need to hit him any higher than 6th or 7th to start with. Espinosa and Ramos might be one of the best duo of 7-8 hitters around. Harper will probably be hitting 3rd or 4th by the time he's 22 years old, if not sooner.
New to your site. Really like it. You seem to stay on top of almost all new changes. FYI I did see on the Nats site that Johnson has named Morse his cleanup hitter.
Found the story. Thanks for the heads-up!
I would put Teahen instead of Carroll. Teahen & DeRosa can play outfield as well as Ankiel.
I think the last bench player on most team's can go in a lot of different directions. They have a few guys with different skills to offer. I like Carroll as a right-handed hitter who can play CF to mix in with the two lefties (Ankiel, Bernadina). They could also let Werth play CF with Mark DeRosa playing RF against LHP's.
So there's some flexibility there but it really comes down to spring training performance. Teahen was awful last season so he'll need to prove himself when he's in the lineup in March.
Why dont the nats sign Johnny damon to play LF despite what they say about how he cant field. He was originally signed in Tampa Bay to play LF. That would move Morse to 1B and the nats can trade Lannan+LaRoche to Toronto for Rajai Davis.
Not sure anyone is looking at Damon as an OF anymore. And the Jays don't need LaRoche, since they have Lind.
Bryce Harper batting .571 with an OBP .625 this spring thus far will be in the Nats lineup Day 1
I like seeing Lombardozzi on the team instead of Blanco.
Was Jason Michaels even re-assigned to AAA? All I've read is a tweet from Bill Ladson saying he won't make the 25 man, and then said he'd be willing to accept an assignment to AAA. So no actual move yet and he could still be released to prevent him from getting that 100K reassignment bonus.
Similar to Jeff Francis, saying he'd okay an assignment if it came down to it but no actual move has been made.
I saw an article saying Nady will start the year at AAA. If that's true who gets the last bench spot?
That was the plan but now that Ankiel and Morse will open on the DL, he and Chad Tracy will likely make the team.
Post a Comment