Nationals Treasure: A Washington Nationals Dynasty

[AdamJones113]

So that was Nats_fan_Zach, he'll be helping me out with this thread with analysis and stuff.

[AdamJones113]

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Nats Will Open Spring Training In Port St. Lucie, FL

Just one more month, one month of 31 exhibition games, and then baseball season will finally be upon us once more. Yippee. Fun.

Anyways, the Nats open with a game against the hapless Mets. Nats manager Matt Williams has indicated that his starters won't be playing, and let's face it, most of the locks won't report till June. That's when the Nats start playing.

Football has Tank and Mean Joe. Baseball has The Human Rain Delay and Charlie Hustle.

Well us'ns here at the Post are going all out and predicting a 21-10 record for the Nats in Spring Training, if Bryce Harper shows up. It's not for sure (#YoloSwag), but one can hope.

Having 162 games a year is 10.125 times as good as having 16.

Will update y'all later on about our predictions and such if I don't take 15 minutes to get the vending machine to work. Maybe I'll have some time then. Maybe.

—Zach Joffferr covers the Nationals for the Washington Post

Best book for a lifetime on a desert island: The Baseball Encyclopedia.

[AdamJones113]

Notes From Florida

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• Closer Battle looming this year. Rafael Soriano, Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen are all candidates for a position that's going to be huge.
• Zimmerman has to turn in a big year for this team to be competitive.
• Rendon needs to keep up his play, because Danny Espinosa is waiting in the wings. Some days when Zimmerman takes a rest, we'll shift Rendon to 3rd and Espinosa can play 2nd.
• Ian Desmond, 160-game player this year?
• Bryce Harper, 100-game player this year? Dudes officially out for the first series.
• Loving the rotation depth, and Chien Mien-Wang can step into the rotation if necessary.
• NO LIMIT FOR STRASBURG this year.
• Yolo!

—Zach Joffferr got a lucky vacation in Florida as he covers the Nats for the Washington Post

[Nats_fan_Zach]

Quote: Originally Posted by AdamJones113

Attachment 72076 Anyways, the Nats open with a game against the hapless Mets. Nats manager Davey Johnson has indicated that his starters won't be playing, and let's face it, most of the locks won't report till June. That's when the Nats start playing. [/center]

FYI, Davey's not the manager anymore, it's Matt Williams.

[AdamJones113]

Deep in the backwoods of Washington State, a high school baseball game between the Mt. Clendon HS Warriors and the Everett Bearcats is taking place. Despite being the state semi-final game, the attendance of around 500 grows sparser and sparser as the burnt-orange sun dips behind the trees and out of sight.

The Bearcats lead the game 3-1 in the seventh inning due to, as is the norm, terrific, gutsy pitching from their graduating senior pitcher. He's allowed 3 hits, walked only one man and the Warriors' run was unforced. The Warriors are normally a hard-hitting team, but their rival Everett HS is taking them to town—or the next town east, over 52 miles away.

The lights come on at the picturesque field, shortly after the sun has dropped out of sight. The sun, to Mt. Clendon, represents the Bearcats' pitcher's array of nasty, tailing pitches. The Bearcats take the field in the bottom of the seventh.

Of of the 400 or so remaining spectators—true baseball fanatics—is one man clad in a dark-grey sports jacket. He's still wearing sunglasses after the sun has departed, one of the half-dozen similarly-dressed men, taking notes. Above the breast pocket of his jacket is the insignia of the Washington Nationals.

The man nods along with the claps and cheers of half the spectators as the Bearcats' hurler sends down the Warriors 1-2-3 in the seventh and eighth inning. By the time the bottom of the ninth comes around, Everett has tacked on another run to make it 3 outs short of the state final.

Two outs. Bottom of the ninth. Bases full after a hit, walk and error. Every player's dream situation. A state final on the line. Scouts at the edge of their seat. A normal manager would bring in a fresh arm. But that is out of the mind of Everett's manager. For Josiah Cohen has completed every game this season, and as the deadly strikes whiz one-after-another past the hapless batter, he will complete this one too.

The Nationals' scout leaves impressed. Well worth a 5th round pick.


I'd advise you to read that entire story, even though it a bit long—It's pretty important for the rest of the dynasty.

[AdamJones113]

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Nationals' Minor League Affiliates

AAA: Syracuse Chiefs
AA: Harrisburg Senators
A: Hagerstown Suns
We'll be checking on these key parts to the Washington Nationals periodically, maybe playing a AAA or AA game here or there!

(I've actually been to every place in their farm system)

[AdamJones113]

The Washington Nationals have released their depth chart for the 2014 season:

Wahington Nationals Depth Chart - 2014

• Catcher
• Wilson Ramos
• J. Solano

• First Base
• Adam LaRoche
• T. Moore

• Second Base
• Anthony Rendon
• D. Espinosa

• Third Base
• Ryan Zimmerman
• A. Rendon

• Shortstop
• Ian Desmond
• D. Espinosa

• Left Field
• Bryce Harper
• N. McLouth
• T. Moore

• Center Field
• Denard Span
• N. McLouth

• Right Field
• Jayson Werth
• J. Kobernus

• Starting Pitcher
• Stephen Strasburg
• Gio Gonzalez
• Jordan Zimmerman
• Doug Fister
• Ross Detwiler
• (Tyler Roark)

• Relief Pitcher
• C. Stammen
• R. Mattheus
• J. Blevins
• R. Ohlendorf
• D. Storen

• Closer
• R. Soriano
• Setup Man: T. Clippard

• Designated Hitter
• (Adam Laroche)

[AdamJones113]

Nationals Only Manage 4 Runs in 2-1 Series Loss in Wrigley

Game 1: Stephen Strasburg @ Jeff Smardzija

Washington Nationals at Chicago Cubs
Mar 30, 2014	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Washington (0-0)	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	0
Chicago (0-0)	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	4	x	5	12	0
W: J. Samardzija L: S. Strasburg S: J. Veras

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			WAS	CHC

Washington Nationals
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG

Washington Nationals
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA

Chicago Cubs
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG

Chicago Cubs
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA

Player of the Game: Bryan Lahair—2-4, HR, 4 RBI
(Nats' POG: Ramos RBI 1B)
Key Play: Bryan Lahair 3R HR in Bot 8


Game 2: Dan Haren @ Edwin Jackson

Washington Nationals at Chicago Cubs
Mar 30, 2014	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Washington (0-1)	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	0
Chicago (1-0)	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	x	3	5	0
W: E. Jackson L: D. Haren

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			WAS	CHC

Washington Nationals
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG

Washington Nationals
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA

Chicago Cubs
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG

Chicago Cubs
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA

Player of the Game: E. Jackson—9 IP, 7H, 3K
(Nats' POG: J. Kobernus RBI 2B, Span scores)
Key Play: Anthony Rizzo 2R HR in Bot 4


Game 3: J. Zimmerman @ T. Wood

Washington Nationals at Chicago Cubs
Mar 30, 2014	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Washington (0-2)	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	2	9	0
Chicago (2-0)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	6	0
W: J. Zimmerman L: T. Wood S: D. Storen

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			WAS	CHC

Washington Nationals
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG

Washington Nationals
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA

Chicago Cubs
HITTERS	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	AVG

Chicago Cubs
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA

Player of the Game: Wilson Ramos—2-4, 2B, RBI
(Nats' POG: A. Rendon—2-3, BB, RBI//R. Zimmerman—4-4, 2R)
Key Play: Ramos doubles Zimmerman home in Top 9


Keeping It Close: An Unheralded Stat of the Series

0 Errors For the Nationals in the Series
Jayson Werth and the infield combined to make some spectacular plays to win Game 3.