2020 Nats media season predictions

The 2020 Major League Baseball season begins tonight, and did you ever think those words would mean what they do right now?

This promises to be a season unlike any other, and we don't know yet if that will be for positive reasons, negative reasons or a little of each. It may be different, but that doesn't mean it won't include a few familiar traditions. Like this one.

For 11 seasons now, members of the Nationals beat have graciously agreed to make season predictions, publish them and then revisit them at the end to point out just how wrong we were. And we're not going to let a 60-game season created by a global pandemic stop us from doing it once again!

It's hard enough to accurately predict how a normal season will play out. It's downright impossible to predict how this season will play out. But we gave it a try. Thank you, as always, to my past-and-present colleagues for participating. And thank you, as always, for reading and following along.

HOW MANY HOME RUNS WILL JUAN SOTO HIT?
Brittany Ghiroli (The Athletic) - 16
Byron Kerr (MASNsports.com) - 16
Jessica Camerato (MLB.com) - 15
Craig Heist (106.7 FM) - 15
Pete Kerzel (MASNsports.com) - 15
Bill Ladson (MLB.com honorary) - 15
Todd Dybas (NBCSportsWashington.com) - 13
Mark Zuckerman (MASNsports.com) - 13
Jesse Dougherty (Washington Post) - 12

HOW MANY BASES WILL TREA TURNER STEAL?
Todd Dybas - 28
Brittany Ghiroli - 26
Bill Ladson - 20
Craig Heist - 18
Mark Zuckerman - 17
Jessica Camerato - 16
Jesse Dougherty - 16
Byron Kerr - 14
Pete Kerzel - 14

WHAT WILL HOWIE KENDRICK'S BATTING AVERAGE BE?
Jessica Camerato - .321
Bill Ladson - .320
Todd Dybas - .318
Mark Zuckerman - .316
Byron Kerr - .315
Jesse Dougherty - .292
Pete Kerzel - .281
Brittany Ghiroli - .270
Craig Heist - .270

WHO WILL BAT THIRD THE MOST TIMES?
Jesse Dougherty - Juan Soto
Craig Heist - Juan Soto
Byron Kerr - Juan Soto
Bill Ladson - Juan Soto
Mark Zuckerman - Juan Soto
Todd Dybas - Howie Kendrick
Jessica Camerato - Starlin Castro
Pete Kerzel - Starlin Castro
Brittany Ghiroli - Trea Turner

HOW MANY GAMES WILL CARTER KIEBOOM START AT THIRD BASE?
Bill Ladson - 50
Jessica Camerato - 40
Jesse Dougherty - 40
Todd Dybas - 38
Byron Kerr - 35
Pete Kerzel - 32
Brittany Ghiroli - 28
Mark Zuckerman - 27
Craig Heist - 15

WHO WILL START THE MOST GAMES AS CATCHER?
Jessica Camerato - Yan Gomes
Jesse Dougherty - Yan Gomes
Todd Dybas - Yan Gomes
Brittany Ghiroli - Yan Gomes
Byron Kerr - Yan Gomes
Pete Kerzel - Yan Gomes
Mark Zuckerman - Yan Gomes
Craig Heist - Kurt Suzuki
Bill Ladson - Kurt Suzuki

RANK JUAN SOTO, BRYCE HARPER AND ANTHONY RENDON BY OPS.
Jesse Dougherty - Rendon, Harper, Soto
Brittany Ghiroli - Rendon, Soto, Harper
Craig Heist - Rendon, Soto, Harper
Pete Kerzel - Soto, Rendon, Harper
Bill Ladson - Soto, Rendon, Harper
Jessica Camerato - Soto, Harper, Rendon
Todd Dybas - Soto, Harper, Rendon
Byron Kerr - Soto, Harper, Rendon
Mark Zuckerman - Soto, Harper, Rendon

WHO WILL LEAD THE PITCHING STAFF IN WINS? HOW MANY?
Bill Ladson - Stephen Strasburg, 9
Byron Kerr - Stephen Strasburg, 8
Brittany Ghiroli - Max Scherzer, 8
Jessica Camerato - Max Scherzer, 7
Jesse Dougherty - Stephen Strasburg, 7
Craig Heist - Stephen Strasburg, 7
Pete Kerzel - Stephen Strasburg, 7
Mark Zuckerman - Stephen Strasburg, 7
Todd Dybas - Patrick Corbin, 7

WHO WILL LEAD THE PITCHING STAFF IN STRIKEOUTS? HOW MANY?
Bill Ladson - Stephen Strasburg, 150
Todd Dybas - Max Scherzer, 132
Craig Heist - Max Scherzer, 102
Byron Kerr - Stephen Strasburg, 98
Pete Kerzel - Max Scherzer, 96
Brittany Ghiroli - Stephen Strasburg, 95
Jessica Camerato - Max Scherzer, 94
Mark Zuckerman - Stephen Strasburg, 91
Jesse Dougherty - Max Scherzer, 87

WHO WILL START MORE GAMES: AUSTIN VOTH OR ERICK FEDDE?
Jessica Camerato - Austin Voth
Todd Dybas - Austin Voth
Pete Kerzel - Austin Voth
Mark Zuckerman - Austin Voth
Jesse Dougherty - Erick Fedde
Brittany Ghiroli - Erick Fedde
Craig Heist - Erick Fedde
Byron Kerr - Erick Fedde
Bill Ladson - Erick Fedde

WHO WILL LEAD THE PITCHING STAFF IN SAVES? HOW MANY?
Todd Dybas - Sean Doolittle, 27
Craig Heist - Daniel Hudson, 21
Brittany Ghiroli - Daniel Hudson, 15
Byron Kerr - Daniel Hudson, 15
Jesse Dougherty - Sean Doolittle, 10
Bill Ladson, Sean Doolittle, 10
Pete Kerzel - Sean Doolittle, 9
Mark Zuckerman - Daniel Hudson, 8
Jessica Camerato - Sean Doolittle, 6

WHAT WILL THE BULLPEN'S ERA BE?
Pete Kerzel - 3.64
Bill Ladson - 4.00
Brittany Ghiroli - 4.10
Jesse Dougherty - 4.12
Todd Dybas - 4.23
Craig Heist - 4.25
Mark Zuckerman - 4.38
Jessica Camerato - 4.58
Byron Kerr - 4.95

WHAT WILL THE NATIONALS' RECORD BE?
Bill Ladson - 50-10
Pete Kerzel - 41-19
Craig Heist - 38-22
Jessica Camerato - 36-24
Jesse Dougherty - 36-24
Todd Dybas - 36-24
Brittany Ghiroli - 35-25
Byron Kerr - 35-25
Mark Zuckerman - 33-28

HOW WILL THE NL EAST FINISH FROM TOP TO BOTTOM?
Jessica Camerato - Nationals, Braves, Mets, Phillies, Marlins
Todd Dybas - Nationals, Braves, Mets, Phillies, Marlins
Bill Ladson - Nationals, Mets, Braves, Marlins, Phillies
Jesse Dougherty - Braves, Nationals, Mets, Phillies, Marlins
Byron Kerr - Braves, Nationals, Mets, Phillies, Marlins
Brittany Ghiroli - Braves, Nationals, Phillies, Mets, Marlins
Craig Heist - Braves, Nationals, Phillies, Mets, Marlins
Pete Kerzel - Braves, Nationals, Phillies, Mets, Marlins
Mark Zuckerman - Braves, Nationals, Phillies, Mets, Marlins

HOW WILL THE NATIONALS' SEASON END?
Jessica Camerato - Win World Series
Byron Kerr - Lose World Series
Todd Dybas - Lose NLCS
Brittany Ghiroli - Lose NLCS
Craig Heist - Lose NLCS
Bill Ladson - Lose NLCS
Pete Kerzel - Lose NLDS
Jesse Dougherty - Lose NL Wild Card Game
Mark Zuckerman - Lose NL Wild Card Tiebreaker