It is game seven of the 1924 World Series—the Washington Senators square off against the New York Giants. After 12 innings Washington pulls out a walk-off win. Exactly 90 years later, Washington, DC may finally get to celebrate a championship baseball team once again.
The season is finally underway for the new and improved 2014 Washington Nationals. With Cy Young Award candidate pitcher Stephen Strasberg, young All-Star phenom Bryce Harper, Silver Slugger shortstop Ian Desmond, and pitcher Doug Fister being added to the already ridiculously good starting rotation, fans from CHS have every reason to believe that the Nats could bring home The Commissioners Trophy.
Many different factors have to come together for a team to win the World Series, such as a good front office and team experience, but despite falling short of the playoffs last year, the Nats are looking their best since their arrival in Washington in 2006.
According to a Feb. 25 RantSports.com article, the Nationals’ weak season last year only gave the team more wisdom and maturity moving forward. The addition of Fister to the pitching rotation has only made this good team even better.
Thanks to a trade with the Detroit Tigers, Fister is the most notable new player to come to the Nationals during this offseason. Fister will be the fourth pitcher in the Nationals starting rotation, which is a testament to the team considering he was the third for the Tigers. Posting an earned run average (ERA) of 3.67 and a 14-9 record in 2013, Fister gives the Nationals one of the deepest and most talent-packed rotations in the MLB.
According to a Jan. 22 ESPN.com article, the Nationals rank as the second best rotation in the MLB for the start of the season due to the variation of style in the starting rotation and the depth of talent in the pitching lineup.
Everyone knows that pitching wins baseball games, so having one of the best rotations to start the season will be a major factor in the Nationals’ inevitable success moving forward. Backing the pitching talent with a solid field, good batters and smart management—as the Nats have continuously done—will be the final piece that will make this team championship caliber.
According to the Feb. 7 ESPN.com preseason power rankings blog, the Nationals are a top three team to start the season and “have no obvious weakness” in the lineup.
These high expectations are no fluke. Even though the team ended 10 games from first place in their division last year, the Nats became a dominating force in the MLB, holding a record of 32-16 following Aug. 7.
According to a March 25 Sporting News article, at the start of the year the Nationals have an eight-to-one chance of winning the 2014 World Series, tying for third best in the major leagues behind only the Cardinals and the Tigers.
Through smart management, excellence in play, and individual accolades, the Nationals continue to prove that they are a force to be reckoned with. Whether it be in their championship odds or pre-season rankings, people are noticing.
Many people argue that the Nationals do not have what it takes to be a World Series team because of their new manager and weak season last year. This is a ridiculous notion considering that despite injury and the weak batting, the Nationals were able to place second in their division behind the Atlanta Braves.
On top of this, according to a March 24 UPI.com article, when the Nationals started to play at their best, they dominated the league.
As far as the new manager Matt Williams goes, the Nats will have no problem making things work with the new skipper, thanks to the already established excellent front office lead by award-winning Mike Rizzo.
