Oct 12, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Washington National catcher Kurt Suzuki (24) forces out St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma (38) at home during the fifth inning of game five of the 2012 NLDS at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Throughout this series, I will be noting players on the 40-man roster and confirmed non-roster invitees. At catcher, there is no more Jesus Flores, but there is still some depth in the organization.

In the first installment of our “Predicting the Nationals” series, we take a look at the men behind the mask using ZiPS (published at Fangraphs) and Bill James’s pre-season predictions (from the Bill James Handbook).

A note before we begin: Obviously, playing time is not totally adjusted. Just take the rates as if they had those at bats. I don’t think there will be 1,634 plate appearances from the catcher position. This is just to get an idea of what the major prediction systems are offering for the Nationals this season.

Kurt Suzuki
ZiPS: 509 PA, .263/.308/.400, 12 HR, 62 RBI, 5.1 BB%, 11.8 K%, 2.2 WAR
James: 424 PA, .247/.306/.360, 8 HR, 47 RBI, 6.4 BB%, 14.3 K%

Wilson Ramos
ZiPS : 311 PA, .260/.314/.411, 9 HR, 34 RBI, 6.8 BB%, 17.4 K%, 1.6 WAR
James: 486 PA, .269/.324/.426, 13 HR, 50 RBI, 6.8 BB%, 15.0 K%

Jhonatan Solano
ZiPS : 264 PA, .247/.281/.360, 5 HR, 28 RBI, 4.2 BB%, 14.8 K%, 0.8 WAR

Sandy Leon
ZiPS: 374 PA, .240/.300/.338, 4 HR, 34 RBI, 7.8 BB%, 20.9 K%, 1.4 WAR

Carlos Maldonado (Non-Roster)
ZiPS: 176 PA, .200/.282/.303, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 9.7 BB%, 27.3 K%, 0.1 WAR

2012 Prediction (ZiPS): .244/.284/.341
2012 Actual (with Washington): .314/.351/.571

Jun 12, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Washington Nationals catcher Jhonatan Solano (23) during their game against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. The Nationals beat the Blue Jays 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

Solano hit much better than projected in a small sample size. It is impossible to tell if his above average hitting would have continued if he had played more games and major league pitching got more of an opportunity to view film and try to find weaknesses.

Behind the plate, Solano allowed five steals and threw out three runners trying to steal. He committed no errors and assisted in two double plays. His weakness was not blocking balls at the plate, allowing two passed balls and pitchers being charged with five wild pitches while he was catching. He seemed to call good games for the pitchers, but he will need to learn to handle the major league version of the breaking ball in the dirt in order to progress at the highest level.

Solano played for the Nationals AA team in Harrisburg after a month off for his oblique injury. He batted .184 in eleven games.

Solano is another of the talented catching prospects the Nats have stockpiled over the last couple of years. He may see playing time again with the Nationals during the 2013 season, depending upon injuries to starting catchers. He also could be a trade piece for Mike Rizzo if another club is interested enough in him to give up prospects that Rizzo wants in the organization.

Season Highlight: July 4th at Nationals Park against the Giants. Solano went two for four with a home run and a stolen base, contributing to the Nationals win that day. The swiped bag was the only one stolen while he was with the Nats.

Previous Reviews:
Xavier Nady
Chien Ming Wang
Mark DeRosa
Henry Rodriguez
Carlos Maldonado
Brad Lidge
Ryan Mattheus
Ryan Perry
Rick Ankiel
Jesus Flores
Sandy Leon
Corey Brown
Christian Garcia

This year looks to be a little different.

The Nationals have held the lead in the NL East since Tuesday, May 22nd. They’ve been alone in first place all but one day, when they were temporarily tied with Atlanta on Sunday, July 3rd. After picking up their 70th win of the season Friday night in Arizona, the team sits 4.5 games ahead of the Braves, nearly equal to the biggest lead in the division they’ve held all season. With just 12 more victories in the team’s final 49 games they’ll finish above .500 for the first time in franchise history.

So what does this mean for the organization come September? Quite a bit, actually.

First and foremost, there will likely be a different view towards expanding the roster as of September 1st. For a change, players will be called upon to provide depth and fill specific roles, rather than just to get them acclimated to life as a big leaguer.

There are five players currently on the 15-day DL who could/should be activated by the start of September who’ll need to be added back onto the active roster.

Ian Desmond could be Washington's biggest September addition, depending when he makes his return from the DL. (Image Credit: Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE)

Ian Desmond is easily the big name of the group, as the shortstop has been in the midst of a career season and will be a welcome addition to the lineup on an everyday basis. He’s been out of action since early July with a partially torn oblique muscle, though he’s started to take ground balls and make throws in the past week. His return will allow Danny Espinosa to move back over to second base and Steve Lombardozzi to slide back into a utility role, something he’s arguably better suited for. His return will also likely mean less playing time for Cesar Izturis and Mark DeRosa (when he returns from an abdominal strain), the type of veterans who in years past may have been released as the summer came to a close to make room for one of the younger players who the team wanted to find at bats for.

Right-handers Henry Rodriguez and Chien-Ming Wang are also expected back around the start of September, adding a pair of arms to the bullpen for the season’s stretch run. Rodriguez is on the shelf with a back strain, something that really may have been more precautionary than anything. While he’s struggled with consistency this year, there is clearly still some belief within the organization that his potentially electric right arm will be a valuable piece of the team’s success moving forward.

Wang has been rehabbing for much of the year, with mixed results. He was shut down this week, however, after experiencing some additional discomfort in his right hip. He, coupled with John Lannan, was to provide the rotation depth this team expected it would need once September rolled around – particularly if/when Stephen Strasburg is shut down for the year due to his innings limit.

Catcher Jhonatan Solano will also come off the DL before September begins, and will likely end up spending a week or two at Triple-A before rejoining the Nationals team. He and Sandy Leon could both find their ways to Washington, providing some added depth behind the plate and potential bat options off the bench.

But in addition to the returns of Desmond, DeRosa, Rodriguez, Wang, and Solano and the expected callups for Lannan and Leon there are two other likely candidates to be on the team’s September roster – outfielder Corey Brown and right-hander Ryan Perry. Both have seen time in Washington this year, only to return to the minor leagues due the limits of a 25-man roster. Both could play important roles down the stretch.

That makes nine players who could be factors in a few weeks. Nine players who are already on the 40-man roster and would not require the team to lose anyone elsewhere in order to make room. Nine players who won’t be simply be up to get at bats as an early look ahead to 2013.

Washington’s in a strong position with September on the horizon for once. It’s a position most Nationals fans are welcoming.