Uncustomed Heroes of 2020: Nationals

 

Okay. The Washington Nationals, without Ryan Zimmerman, Anthony Rendon, Stephen Strasburg and Sean Doolittle, were a last-place team. It is that simple. Yes, Trea Turner and Max Scherzer and Juan Soto all did well, but the uniformity and consistency across the board that made the Nationals borderline good enough to catch fire in October was gone this year. And it's very clear why.

First of all, Victor Robles, who was fantastic last year, was back to his usual middling performances. Dude hit .220 and led the team in strikeouts with 53. Nothing close to his 2019, and the outfield sort of wilted without his better numbers.

2021 Prediction: An improvement, and more of a contact year, but I feel like every subsequent Victor Robles season is gonna pale in comparison to last year.

On the last season of his multi-year deal in Washington, Adam Eaton hit the first Nats home run of the season, and the first home run off of Gerrit Cole in 2020, but beyond that he continued his post-White-Sox decline, hitting .226 with 17 RBIs. After hitting at least .280-something in his prior seasons, this was the weakest year of Eaton's career, and it was a huge hit to his free agency chances.

2021 Prediction: A reunion with the Chicago White Sox will revitalize his offense numbers even as his defensive numbers continue to go downhill.

In the absence of Stephen Strasburg, and Anibal Sanchez' better numbers, Erick Fedde still provided solid rotation support for Scherzer and Corbin. In 11 games he had a 4.29 ERA with 28 Ks, not bad for a lower-tier arm. 

2021 Prediction: Officially becomes the fourth man in that rotation. Like, there's a difference between being fourth in the rotation and being the FOURTH of Scherzer, Strasburg, Corbin and Fedde. And I think 2021 is his year. 

It's not gonna show in like 8 years when he's up for HOF election, but Kurt Suzuki might be one of the more reliable backstops of the 2010s. The A's, Twins, Braves and Nats have enjoyed his [mostly backup] catching material for years, and 2020 was no exception. Zuk hit .270 off the bench, with 30 hits and 17 RBIs in 33 games. 

2021 Prediction: I think one more season backing up somewhere [hell, maybe back in Oakland] before he calls it a career.

Right. Now we get into the saga of the million middle infielders in Washington. Buckle up, cause this is where it becomes clear why the Nats sucked this year. 

Starlin Castro was signed during the offseason to play 2nd for the Nats. I thought it was a good deal for them, and as the season began, Castro seemed to look very sharp, hitting .267 with 2 homers in his first 16 games. Then he gets injured, and is out for the season, throwing 2nd base into limbo for the remainder of the season.

2021 Prediction: More health, but a gradual shift to DH.

So now we go to other infield options. Asdrubal Cabrera played some games at 2nd, as it's his primary position, but he played more at 1st, switching with Eric Thames. At 36, Cabrera may no longer be a feasible defensive option, as his defensive levels were at replacement level, and he only hit .242 this year. So he wasn't the answer.

2021 Prediction: I don't think anyone's gonna sign him this offseason.

The next option would be Howie Kendrick, who also came up as a second baseman, yet has been starting a lot at 1st. This year, he was the primary DH in Washington, and hit .275 with 14 RBIs when he wasn't injured. Okay, so two members of this team aren't feasible 2nd base replacements. Now bring in some signees.

2021 Prediction: Perhaps a victory lap season before he retires.

After being released by the Phillies right before the beginning of the season, Josh Harrison was very quickly scooped up by the Nats, and was the next, and more substantial, 2nd base option of the early season. Harrison hit .278 with 14 RBIs in 33 games, though his defense wasn't quite as starry. 

2021 Prediction: Seemingly more backup work in Washington. 

But then they also get Brock Holt from the Brewers, and plug him into utility work, which makes FIVE SECOND BASE OPTIONS, and five infielders over 30 roaming the roster and preventing over, younger infielders from getting work. And the ones that did, like Carter Kieboom and Wilmer Difo, weren't great. So Holt is the starting 3rd baseman for a bit this year, does a decent job with a .262 average, but is more of the same veteran mediocrity that is bringing this team down.

2021 Prediction: A similar, multi-team backup year to this one. 

FINALLY, in September, the Nationals found an answer with their sixth middle infield option, as Luis Garcia got the 2nd base gig and seemed to earn it. In 40 games, he has 37 hits, 16 RBIs and bats .276, the kind of wild start that gets some heads, especially his clutch abilities. The Nats were teasing good things from this guy for 2021, and I believe them.

2021 Prediction: Starts the whole year at 2nd, hits 25 homers and gets 75 RBIs and we never have this problem again. 

Coming Tomorrow- Surprisingly the Orioles weren't completely terrible this year.