Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth Top List of Players to Watch in 2015

Jun 30, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper (34), center fielder Denard Span (2) and right fielder Jayson Werth (28) celebrate in the outfield after the game against the Colorado Rockies at Nationals Park. Washington Nationals defeated Colorado Rockies 7-3. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Spring is in the air. A time for young love, flowers, chocolates, and, much more important than any of that, baseball. We’re slowly winding down the days until spring training starts and we have the national pastime back in our lives. If you’re like me, those empty days can’t go by quickly enough.

In anticipation of spring training, the writers at District on Deck are all taking our turns at providing our top five players to watch during the 2015 seasons. Since it’s Valentine’s Day weekend, I’ve decided to add a little twist to my list. Instead of just giving you the five players I’ll be keeping a close eye during the year, I’ve divided them up into three categories:

• Players That I Love – These are my all-stars, the guys that I expect to carry the Nationals to a successful 2015 regular season (and, hopefully, postseason). They’re the big guns, the ones that I’m counting on to shoulder the bulk of the load both at the plate and out in the field.
• Crush of the Year – This is my underdog candidate for the 2015 season, my darkhorse for a breakout year. He’s the guy I’m picking to play a big role for the first time.
• Heartbreakers – Of course, there’s also players I’ll be watching for a different reason; they’re the ones I’m wary of going into the year. The heartbreakers are the sort of players that I’m concerned might pull the rug out from under the team, though, in all honesty, I’d be perfectly happy if they didn’t.

Now, without further ado, here’s my Valentine’s Day top five!

Next: Players I Love: Bryce Harper