Kuzul

Nationals Manager Jim Riggleman told the media yesterday that Jayson Werth will begin the regular season as the number two hitter in front of Ryan Zimmerman.

This won’t be a new endeavor for Werth, who was batted second before with the Phillies and Dodgers.

One of the biggest problems with the Nationals offense last season came at the top of the order.  The combination of Nyjer Morgan (who’s no longer starting) and Willie Harris / Adam Kennedy was one of the worst in Major League Baseball.

With Ian Desmond leading off and Werth following, Jim Riggleman and Mike Rizzo hope to generate a lot more base runners for Zimmerman, LaRoche, and Michael Morse.

This time last year, we’d expect to see Nyjer Morgan leading off, but it appears Riggleman and company finally got tired of his terrible on-base percentage and irresponsible base running.

Rick Ankiel will take over center field duties, but will not lead off.  Riggleman will rely on Ankiel’s power and use him later in the lineup.

So unless something changes, here is your opening day starting lineup for your Washington Nationals:

1. Ian Desmond, SS

2. Jayson Werth, RF

3. Ryan Zimmerman, 3B

4. Adam LaRoche, 1B

5. Michael Morse, LF

6. Rick Ankiel, CF

7. Danny Espinosa, 2B

8. Ivan Rodriguez, C

9. Livan Hernandez, SP

Not too shabby.  Now, if only we could get our pitching to step up.  Riggleman hasn’t released the rotation yet, but this would be an educated guess:

1. Livan Hernandez

2. Jordan Zimmermann

3. Jason Marquis

4. Tom Gorzelanny

5. John Lannan

What do you guys think?

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Heading into 2011, one player is generating more anticipation than any other. 

It’s not Stephen Strasburg, as he’s still six months away from being fully healthy. 

It’s not Bryce Harper; he likely won’t even sniff the big leagues this season.

It’s Danny Espinosa, the rookie second baseman who burst on the scene for the last few weeks of the 2010 season.

So far this Spring, he’s been looking like a future Gold Glover, with his combination of power and poise in the batter’s box makes any baseball fan excited.

His official rookie campaign came to an abrupt halt Tuesday night, as he fouled a ball off his foot in the seventh inning against the New York Mets.

Espinosa had to be carried off the field by two of his coaches and appeared unable to put any weight on his injured foot at all.

Obviously, it’s too early to gauge the extent of the injury. Nationals fans can only hope there’s a chance he’ll be ready to go by Opening Day. 

A broken foot most likely wouldn’t allow that.

Coming into the game Tuesday night, Espinosa was batting .324 for the Spring with two doubles and two home runs to go along with his extraordinary fielding.

Here’s hoping he makes a swift recovery.

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I know, I know.  You must think I’m crazy.  Maybe I am.  But there’s no question that, for the first time in a long, long while, there’s legitimate excitement about the future of baseball in Washington, D.C.

Am I jumping the gun a little bit?  Maybe.  Could I be falling for the hype and headed for inevitable disappointment?  It’s possible.  But maybe I’m right.

Since the return of baseball to the nation’s capital in 2005, Nationals fans have had very little to be excited about.  It wasn’t like the Minnesota Twins or Texas Rangers (former Washington Senators franchises) were returning home after leaving this town without America’s pastime since 1971.  The Twins at least had a young Joe Mauer and Johan Santana on the roster.

Nope.  We got the Montreal Expos whose best players were Jose Vidro and Livan Hernandez (who’s still truckin’ by the way).

Despite the lack of talent, baseball was welcomed home in D.C. with open arms.  The addition of Alfonso Soriano was icing on the cake.

Unfortunately for Nats fans, Soriano was the lone bright spot on a team that was lackluster from top to bottom, including management and ownership.

And so it began, a five year stretch of less than stellar baseball.  A fan base that was initially buzzing with a boyish excitement began to dwindle, year after disappointing year.  An attendance mark that was 11th in Major League Baseball in 2005 fell to 24th in 2009.

Just when it couldn’t get any worse, the Nationals were rewarded for all those years of losing.  A franchise saving player arrived gift-wrapped in the 2009 MLB draft:  Stephen Strasburg.

Instantly, the buzz was back!  After his first major league start in which he fanned 14 Pirates with 100mph fastballs and looping curveballs, Nationals fans finally had something to be excited about.

Strasburg would go on to have his season cut short, requiring Tommy John surgery, but his 5-3 output (with almost no run support to speak of) left a lasting impact in D.C.

So here we are, heading into 2011 blessed with another 1st overall pick waiting in the wings, a phenom named Bryce Harper.  Throw in a change in management, a big free agent signing, and responsible roster improvements and we have a team that’s ready to compete.

This upcoming season won’t be the prettiest.  It won’t be nearly as bad as last year or the year prior, but don’t expect a miracle.  The Nationals have a lot of young, talented players that are still getting used to the big leagues, but the foundation has been built.  I contend that this team has a real chance to win the NL East in 2012 and make a decent playoff run.

Here’s why.

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