All or Nothing! Washington Nationals (MLB The Show 16)

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All or Nothing! Washington Nationals

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Game		MLB The Show 16 (PS4)
Mode		Franchise Mode
Sliders		Armor and Swords V2.5
Difficulty	All Star
Rosters		OSFM V2.5
Setup		1 Team Control
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		Sim AAA/AA & Spring Training
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Harper Carries Hope
New look Nationals will rely on 'old faces!


Above: Strasburg and Harper have fulfilled their potential; can they add winning to that equation in 2016?

(WAS) - Spring is here and that familiar smell of roasted peanuts will soon begin to envelope your senses, as players and staff begin to report back for the 2016 campaign.

Its no different for those members of the Washington Nationals and more importantly reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper, who after clubbing 42 long balls in 2015, will be even more important to his team after a somewhat rocky off-season in the nations capital.

The first big move made by the Nats' would be a change at the top. After failing to make the playoffs last time round, Matt Williams would be relieved of his duties by GM Mike Rizzo. Replacing him? The wily Dusty Baker inked a 2 year deal to try and win it all for the team and himself.

"Its probably my last chance to lead a team to the World Series" Baker said, as his only appearance as a manager came in 2002 as the Giants lost to the Angels.

"When I got the call there was only one decision. You can tell that they have the right formula in place and its my job to make sure we have the answers to that"

With Baker and an overhaul of the off-field staff in place, the team would suffer with its on-field options as the loss of RHP Jordan Zimmerman headlined a gaggle of exits, that saw Ian Desmond, Yunel Escobar and Denard Span be a part of 10 big league exits.

Coming in, the Nationals would go hard to sign Daniel Murphy as he left divisional rival New York. Ben Revere to give the team another option in the outfield and pitchers Oliver Perez, Yusmeiro Petit and Shawn Kelley. Solid replacements, but a definite downgrade in the teams starting rotation.

However with all that said, the Nationals still have superstar quality on their books. Bryce Harper is set to build on his MVP year, Max Scherzer continues to headline a rotation that contains Stephen Strasburg and reliable LHP Gio Gonzalez. Whilst the experience of Ryan Zimmerman, Jayson Werth and Anthony Rendon will ensure that the team will continue to head in the right direction.

The shakeup of the teams off-season will be one of hope for all National' fans. Coming off of a 83 win season, there is room for improvement and with the talent pool available and the addition of an experienced manager, the playoffs may not be that far out of reach.

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Nats' Survive Spring Showing
Its not bad, but it could be better!


Above: Baker will be hoping the Nats carry their bats better come the regular season

(WAS) - If anything the biggest positive to come out of Nationals Spring Training camp was that there were no serious injuries to report and the team will head into the regular season with a full hand of options available to Dusty Baker.

The flipside to that was the indifferent performance of the team that went 14-15 with more to tell. First up the efforts of Bryce Harper reassured everyone (if they needed it) that he was back and ready for 2016, as he hit 9 long balls with a .296AVG. Jayson Werth also contributed with some good power numbers, hitting 4HR and 12RBI as he propped up the teams offense.

However when you peel back some of the layers, you will note Daniel Murphy struggling, infact the whole of the teams infield combined for a meager 6HR over Spring. A worrying return.

On the mound Stephen Strasburg was at his dominant best, posting 47Ks and a 1.74ERA from his 31 innings of work. Whilst the imperious Max Scherzer came in at 1.44, as the teams 1-2 punch looks to be in great shape.

Outside of them, the race to fill the teams rotation hangs in the balance with Tanner Roark struggling to keep his ERA sub 5.00. Yet 22 year old Joe Ross impressed from 22IP as he kept his ERA under 2.00 but would walk 7 batters as questions about his control remain.

Veteran Closer Jonathan Papelbon will be hoping his performances will drain out the memory of his spat with Bryce Harper last season. Papelbon appears to have locked in his role as he collected 9SV and a 1.64ERA from 11 innings.

The overall outlook could be better, the offense will need more production in order to protect Harper and the teams bigger threats. Whilst the continued questions of the pitching staff will remain until Dusty Baker can lock in a solid 5 arms to his rotation.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS SPRING TRAINING:
14-15

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Washington Nationals 25-man Roster:

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Game 1:

(ATL) - Scherzer and Teheran would pitch in a tense duel as the latter came out on top thanks to Nick Markakis' RBI single in the 4th inning. With the 2 starters combining for 23Ks across the night, it was clear that a little rust remained in both lineups coming into the season.

Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez said "We got the pitching we needed and we knew if Julio (Teheran) could get us through at least 6 innings, then we have a chance. Neither team look particularly good at the plate, but we got the job done and can move on to tomorrow"

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Game 2:

(ATL) - The Nationals bounced back to split the series on the back of a dominant effort by Stephen Strasburg, who gave up just 1 hit in a complete game shutout.

On offense the Nats' finally offered something different as Bryce Harper opened his account with an RBI in the 3rd, before Jayson Werth sealed it with a 2RBI double in the 6th as Washington added the exclamation point.

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Game 3:

(WAS) - You had to be there to believe it, but the Marlins kept their unbeaten start to the season going on just 1 hit, as they frustrate Gio Gonzalez and ride a 2 run bomb from Martin Prado for the win.

Daniel Murphy responded for the Nationals with a solo shot (his 1st hit of 2016) but although they would total 7 hits, it would be the patience of the Miami lineup that proved to be enough to seal the unlikeliest of victories.