Washington Nationals 2007 Season Preview
Hope springs eternal for every team before the first game of each and every team before a season, and some teams know they are contenders and some do not. Sadly, for the Washington Nationals, most experts and pundits believe they will not be contenders at all in the National League and perhaps will lose 100 games or more. However, even though the Nationals are rebuilding their organization for the future, the team has potential All-Stars like Ryan Zimmerman & Chad Cordero emerging as the cornerstone of the franchise. With the exception of a few players, 2007 will be a year for many to show they belong on a major league club.
2006 was a year which saw ground break on their new home in 2008, the release of Frank Robinson as manager, to the hiring of former Mets’ coach Manny Acta, the upcoming 2007 season will determine the road that the Nationals are on for the years ahead. The team lost superstar player Alfonso Soriano & the team was widely criticized for not trading him, but they made one of shrewd deals of 2006 in which they traded away some members of their bullpen for youngsters Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez.
Right now, baseball is in a period of economic boom, and from that result, the contracts free agents have received this offseason have been unprecedented. However, the Nationals have pretty much stayed out of the fray and have had no big signings during the winter. The Nationals’ front office, led by Stan Kasten and General Manager, Jim Bowden have a plan in place to rebuild from within via draft picks, talent in Latin America and lower level players than rather than investing heavily in the free agent market. The team was able to get some young talent via trades and had a good draft; so much of the energy in the offseason was spent trying to rebuild a moribund minor league. Hopefully under the tutelage of Manny Acta, the Nationals perhaps could do better than expected.
As we are heading into the New Year, the Nationals’ have a litany of needs, primarily in the pitching department. The batting lineup and bench are in better shape; however, besides young star Ryan Zimmerman, Nick Johnson and perhaps Austin Kearns to an extent, the Nats’ have a lack of power and impact bats in the lineup and on the bench. With second baseman Jose Vidro being traded, strong bench guy Daryl Ward gone, Alfonso Soriano now in the Windy City, the Nats are looking to become younger and have a core of players that will help them to compete.
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