Mark Zuckerman

Nats need to figure out in 2018 if Robles is part of plan in 2019

January 09, 2018, 6:34pm

Fifteen games and 28 plate appearances is hardly enough sample size to make legitimate evaluations of a young ballplayer. And yet even in his brief, end-of-season stint with the Nationals, Victor Robles turned a whole lot of heads. It was impossible not to notice the 20-year-old outfielder, who dazzled in his performance, in his athleticism and in his composure following his September promotion from Double-A Harrisburg. Heck, the Nationals were so impressed themselves that they included him on...

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Nats still need bullpen help beyond the big three

January 08, 2018, 8:13pm

Nationals

Nats still need bullpen help beyond the big three

The Nationals bullpen will enter the 2018 season in far better shape than it did a year ago. Lest anyone forget the open competition to be the closer between Blake Treinen, Shawn Kelley and Koda Glover. That won't be an issue this time, not with Sean Doolittle, Ryan Madson and Brandon Kintzler all back in the late-inning roles they inherited (and thrived in) following their July acquisitions. But the Nats bullpen doesn't exactly look pristine beyond that trio. The loss of Matt Albers - who...

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Do the Nats need a No. 5 starter - or a No. 3 starter?

January 07, 2018, 7:12pm

Nationals

Do the Nats need a No. 5 starter - or a No. 3 starter?

The Nationals need a fifth starter. Or do they? It's easy to look at the current state of the rotation and conclude there's a gaping hole behind the otherwise strong quartet of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark. Joe Ross won't return from Tommy John surgery until July at best. Erick Fedde and A.J. Cole are unproven and/or uninspiring from what we've seen of each so far. And Edwin Jackson is an unsigned free agent, not to mention the ultimate journeyman who keeps...

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What other franchises can match Nats' playoff heartbreak?

January 06, 2018, 7:43pm

Nationals

What other franchises can match Nats' playoff heartbreak?

There are many different kinds of miseries in sports. There's the misery that comes from repeated losing year in and year out, as any fan of the National Football League's Cleveland Browns can attest. There's the misery that comes from repeatedly coming oh-so-close to winning the big one, as any fan of the Buffalo Bills can attest. And then there's the misery that comes from repeatedly reaching the playoffs and then finding new ways to squander those opportunities, as any fan of the Kansas...

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Soccer stadium opening sets up big All-Star week in D.C.

January 05, 2018, 9:07am

Nationals

Soccer stadium opening sets up big All-Star week in D.C.

The Nationals have known for a while now they'd be getting new neighbors down the street from their ballpark. Now they know when those neighbors officially will move in: One day before the beginning of All-Star festivities on South Capitol Street. D.C. United will play its first Major League Soccer game at the brand-new Audi Field on July 14 after spending the season's first 4 1/2 months traversing the country playing 12 road matches and two home matches at other venues in the Washington area...

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Nats like Realmuto, but not if Miami asks for top prospects

January 04, 2018, 5:07pm

Nationals

Nats like Realmuto, but not if Miami asks for top prospects

It's no secret the Nationals want to get better production from their catchers in 2018 than they did in 2017. Not that it would be easy to get worse production. Nationals catchers - which means almost entirely Matt Wieters and Jose Lobaton - collectively hit .208 with a .275 on-base percentage, .319 slugging percentage and .594 OPS last season. They ranked 28th, 29th, 30th and 30th in the majors in each of those categories, respectively. So there's basically nowhere to go but up. The issue at...

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Nats pitchers and catchers set to report Feb. 14

January 04, 2018, 8:46am

Nationals

Nats pitchers and catchers set to report Feb. 14

Need a little something to warm you up on this most frigid day of the winter? Here's some news that might do the trick: Spring training begins in 41 days. The Nationals announced their official reporting dates this afternoon, at which point we learned there are fewer than six weeks to go until we'll be seeing and hearing the sights and sounds of the spring in West Palm Beach. Pitchers and catchers will report to The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on Feb. 14, with position players set to report...

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Looking at stat projections for the Nats pitching staff

January 03, 2018, 6:05pm

Nationals

Looking at stat projections for the Nats pitching staff

Yesterday we looked at FanGraphs' Steamer projections for everyone in the Nationals lineup to begin the 2018 season. Today we'll look at the projections for the prominent members of the Nationals' pitching staff ... MAX SCHERZER Actual 2017 stats: 16-6, 2.51 ERA, 200.2 IP, 268 SO, 0.90 WHIP, 6.0 WAR Steamer 2018 projection: 15-9, 3.38 ERA, 207 IP, 257 SO, 1.09 WHIP, 5.0 WAR Comment: While these numbers are still very good, if they came to fruition Scherzer would end up with his worst ERA...

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Looking at stat projections for the Nats lineup

January 02, 2018, 6:48pm

Nationals

Looking at stat projections for the Nats lineup

The 2018 Nationals are going to look a lot like the 2017 Nationals. With only a handful of exceptions, the same group of players that won 97 games last season is going to be back and making another run at it this season. So while many other clubs' fortunes will be predicated in large part on how much they improved their roster during the offseason, the Nats' fortunes probably boil down more to this question: How much better (or worse) will their returning players be? We won't know the...

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Will new year inject some life into ice-cold free agent market?

January 01, 2018, 5:30pm

Nationals

Will new year inject some life into ice-cold free agent market?

The new year has arrived. But does that mean all those free agents who are still out there will start picking their employers for 2018? It's been a really slow hot stove league so far. Aside from the usual excitement right before, during and right after the Winter Meetings, there has been precious little action across baseball. And that was especially true over the holiday break, which saw Wade Davis sign with the Rockies, a couple of third-tier relievers sign deals and nothing else. It's not...

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Nationals New Year's resolutions

December 31, 2017, 10:21am

Nationals

Some good things happened in 2017. Some bad things happened, too. No matter how you felt about the previous year, everyone can agree we all want to strive to be better in the new year. That applies to the Nationals, as well. And so without further ado, here are the Nats' resolutions for 2018, which every member of the club was nice enough to share with me for publication (as far as you know) ... BRYCE HARPER: No injuries of consequence in a contract year. MICHAEL A. TAYLOR: Take nothing for...

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Nats selected for three early-season Sunday night games

December 26, 2017, 6:33pm

Nationals

Nats selected for three early-season Sunday night games

Catching up on more news during my vacation last week, I see that ESPN unveiled roughly one-half of its "Sunday Night Baseball" slate for the 2018 season. And lo and behold, the Nationals are actually prominently featured in a manner we haven't seen before by the Worldwide Leader in Sports. The Nats were selected to play in three of the first seven "Sunday Night Baseball" games of the season, including the April 8 finale of their opening home series against the Mets. They'll also appear...