There's hope in Washington for the Nationals

The Nationals' legitimacy as a Major League franchise has been in question ever since they returned to D.C. in 2005. With die-hard Redskins and Capitals fans (and maybe even Wizards fans) throughout the Washington region, Nats fans are hard to come by these days.

However, those fans have reason for optimism in 2012.

Stephen Strasburg (photo courtesy Google Images)

In terms of starting pitching, the club added starting pitchers Gio Gonzalez from the A's and Edwin Jackson from the Cardinals. Gonzalez was a big-time pickup, as he is certainly one of top-15 pitchers in baseball. These guys will be added to the rotation with Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman and John Lannan.


I would expect a Strasburg-Gonzalez-Zimmerman-Jackson-Lannan rotation.

The Nats also will have solid relief pitching as they retained Tyler Clippard and closer Drew Storen, both of whom are very talented. In addition, they picked up Brad Lidge, one of the best closers ever in baseball.

Outside of the pitchers, the squad also has some very solid bats. Key contributors Michael Morse, Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa are all returning in 2012, along with the stars Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth. Werth struggled last season by his standards, but perhaps he will be more comfortable in D.C. this season, especially now that he has a much improved supporting cast.

The baseball world will also be exposed to 19-year-old Bryce Harper for the first time. He is currently listed as a right-fielder, the same position as Werth, so he will likely be asked to move around as he gradually gets playing time as the season goes on.

This is a well-rounded, deep team that can actually make some noise in the league, so don't be surprised when you hear about the Nats' success in the next few months.