The Nationals are a baseball team. They are not the national team however, that would have to be the Yankees…some might say the Cubs…but it is definitely not the Nationals who lost more games than anyone in baseball last year. My favorite team plays the Washington Nationals 19 times a year. Out of those 19 games I expect to win 16 or so. These are all indirect ways of saying the Washington Nationals are a franchise with some problems.

The Nationals were the Expos. Wait let me backup…Before that, I’m told the Nationals played in Washington D.C. and then moved to Minnesota to become the Twins. A new team was founded in Washington and called themselves…the Nationals. They stayed for awhile and then moved to Texas to become the Rangers. The Expos were their own team, and decided to move to Washington to become…that’s right…the Nationals. It’s all very confusing, but if you’re a National’s fan…well maybe you should prepare yourself for an eventual move because this marriage of team and town seems to be a fleeting one at best.

But there is promise in the Nationals organization. They have been relatively bad for some time, and have been able to parlay that badness into high draft picks. This past year, the Nationals selected Stephen Strasburg (Cy Young reincarnated) with the first pick of the first round. Stephen Strasburg throws the ball 214 miles per hour. Or 100 miles per hour. One of those two. He has some pretty terrifying secondary pitches. He likes to smile.3

Stephen Strasburg, as well as the first pick of this coming year’s draft, are supposed to be the twin pillars of the Nationals franchise in the coming decade.

But that’s tomorrows news. Let’s look at what’s happening today in the nation’s capitol.

C – Ivan Rodriquez
1B – Adam Dunn
2B – Adam Kennedy
3B – Ryan Zimmerman
SS – Cristian Guzman
LF – Josh Willingham
CF – Nyjer Morgan
RF – Elijah Dukes

UTL – Willie Harris, Ian Desmond, Jesus Flores

Rotation – Jason Marquis, John Lannan, Scott Olsen, Craig Stammen, J.D. Martin

Closer – Matt Capps

The reality is that the Nationals will be able to field a really respectable everyday lineup. Morgan is a fine leadoff hitter and has the ability to swipe maybe 40 bases. Adam Dunn is a lock to hit 40 home runs with 100 RBI. Cristian Guzman usually has about 175 singles at the end of every year. Pudge, Willingham, and Kennedy are all solid veterans that can help a locker room cope with losing 95+ games.

Ryan Zimmerman is the star of the team and after a 2009 that saw him compile a .292/30/106 line…as well as a 30 game hitting streak, Nationals fans have to be excited that the team has an All Star locked up for the foreseeable future.

But back to that losing 95+ games bit…The Nat’s pitching staff—while I’m sure are a bunch of nice guys—is going to really struggle in that division this year. The Phillies, Mets, Braves and Marlins all boast fastball killer lineups. And that’s what the Nationals have. A bunch of pitchers that throw fastballs that don’t move so fast.

Marquis is a great third or fourth starter on a playoff bound team, but he’s no ace. Lannan is really aided by their huge stadium, but he quietly posted nice numbers last year. Scott Olsen looks to regain some of the promise he showed in Florida while Craig Stammen and J.D. Martin are two gentlemen I couldn’t pick out of a lineup…and I watch this team 10 or 15 times a year. Washington’s other young Zimmerman, Jordan, will miss the 2010 season following surgery to his pitching arm. If you’re a home run ball collector, you could have a worse business plan than buying season tickets in the left field seats this summer.

Matt Capps had varying levels of success as Pittsburgh’s closer over the last few years, but he’s probably not going to surprise anyone this year. If he notches 30 saves…it’s a good year.

The real story in Washington is when will Strasburg arrive, and how will he do against major league hitters? If you haven’t seen his stuff, take a look at this. Those college kids look like they’re swinging blindfolded up there, but who knows what major league hitters will do against him…

Predictions:

Team MVP – Zimmerman…he’s simply their best player on offense or defense and he should improve upon last year’s legitimate breakout campaign

X-Factor – Again it’s Strasburg…if he comes up in the early summer months and dominates, fans in Washington will give the team a free pass for another season or two

Standings – 5th in the NL East

You know the saying, “Save the best for last”?

What about the “Finish the worst first”?

No? While maybe not as catchy, it certainly applies to our first installment of FansEdge’ 2010 Major League Baseball Preview – and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Sure, Pittsburgh didn’t have the worst record in baseball, (beating out the Washington Nationals by three less defeats) but they have been – by far – the worst team in MLB for nearly two decades. The last time the Pirates boasted a winning record I was studying simple addition and Barry Bonds hadn’t yet begun studying “the Clear”, allegedly.

A lot has changed since 1992 – see home run records – but one thing remains a constant: Pittsburgh finishing at or near the bottom of the National League Central Division.

But it’s 2010. New decade. New personnel. And a new era, right?

That’s what the Pirates front office hopes for, at least. Some would call 2009 a rebuilding season for the Pirates; I call it a season of purging.

2010 features yet another injection of youth, and this time they may have actually gotten it right.
Out: Nate McLouth, Freddy Sanchez, Nyjer Morgan and Jack Wilson. In: Lastings Milledge (24 years old), Ronny Cedeno (26), Andy LaRoche (26) and Andrew McCutchen (23).

Speed and defense.

That will be third-year manager John Russell’s calling card if his team takes the next step – and is actually acknowledged by the rest of its division.

And it starts in center field. McCutchen, Pittsburgh’s top prospect, lived up to the hype in his rookie season, finishing second among position players in the Rookie of the Year voting. Displaying tremendous speed (22 stolen bases) and modest power (12 home runs) in just over 400 at-bats, McCutchen has an opportunity to resurrect a once-proud franchise.

He is joined by a number of disappointing prospects intent on fulfilling their potential with a new team. Former cast-offs like Milledge, Cededno and LaRoche have been given another chance to resurrect their still young careers in a more relaxed environment.

Unfortunately, you’re not going anywhere in baseball without pitching…and there’s a reason I’ve waited this long to address the rotation situation. The Pirates are anchored by Zack Duke and Paul Maholm, and boast a band of young talent. Sound familiar?

But youthful exuberance rarely beats good hitting, and with 11 victories leading the staff last season, someone needs to grasp the “Ace” title for this team to have any chance of competing with the likes of the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.

Predictions:

Team MVP: Andrew McCutchen. Who else? The Pirates’ best prospect since Barry Bonds had a tremendous rookie campaign, highlighted by a 3-HR game. With a full season ahead, I expect a similar batting average with improved power and speed numbers: .280/19 HRs/71 RBIs/29 SBs

X-Factor: Pedro Alvarez. You may not have heard of him…but you will. The only Pirate with more potential than McCutchen may be Alvarez. The 2nd pick of the 2008 MLB Draft, Alvarez packs tremendous power at the plate, hitting 27 HRs in the minors last season. Just 22, expect him to amass even greater power and anticipate a September call-up, at the latest.

Bottom Line: Pittsburgh will improve…but don’t expect to be singing “We are family” just yet. They are still 2-3 seasons away from making any real noise – assuming they can hold on to everyone.

W-L: 71-91.

Hey…there’s always Steelers offseason.