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
Oct 7, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper (34) celebrates after hitting a solo home run as he rounds the bases past San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (left) during the seventh inning of game four of the 2014 NLDS baseball playoff game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Player I Love: Bryce Harper
This pick is going to surprise approximately no one. If there’s any candidate for a breakout season on the Nationals roster, it’s Bryce Harper. The entire fan base has been foaming at the mouth since last October, just waiting for 2015 to start to see what Bryce was ready to do.
It’s easy to understand the reason for the anticipation. In an NLDS where the Nationals had no semblance of an ability to score, Harper crushed ball after ball against the Giants (particularly the mouthy Hunter Strickland). Those bombs looked like they were coming from a young player who had just found his stroke.
Forgive me if you think I’m wrong, but I have to admit that I’ve been drinking the Kool-Aid from a firehose during the offseason. Harper just turned 22 in October, and, for whatever reason, he’s been hitting in the bottom half of the order.
That will change in 2015, and if it doesn’t, Matt Williams should be fired on the spot for gross incompetence. Harper will most likely move up to third in the order, where he’ll hit behind Denard Span and Anthony Rendon. If Span keeps his offensive output at the level that he managed during the second half of last season, and Anthony Rendon keeps being Anthony Rendon, Harper’s solo shots from the playoffs could turn into two- and three-run homers.
Harper is the sort of player who loves the limelight, and he should be able to handle a move into the top three hitting spots. Of course, as we all know, Harper’s biggest worry will be his injuries. If he can avoid those, though, he’s the first on my list of players I love for 2015.
Next: Players I Love: Anthony Rendon
Jun 22, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon (6) doubles against the Atlanta Braves during the eight inning at Nationals Park. The Nationals won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Players I Love: Anthony Rendon
There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that Anthony Rendon is the most underrated player on the Nationals roster by the national media. He’s a well above average fielder, an amazing hitter, and he was just 24 years old in 2014. I understand that he finished fifth in NL MVP voting, but it still seems like Harper, Strasburg and even Jayson Werth seem to garner more national talk than the young third baseman out of Houston.
Nationals fans, on the other hand, know that they’ve got a true superstar playing the hot corner. In 2014, Rendon hit for a triple slash line of .287/.351/.473 with 21 home runs, 83 runs batted in, and 111 runs scored.
I’d like to take this moment to remind you: Rendon was only TWENTY-FOUR years old last season.
That means that Rendon is likely only going to get better this year, and that should make every Nationals fan across the country giddy. It hardly even seems possible that Rendon hasn’t reached his ceiling yet, but there’s no reason to believe that his best years aren’t still ahead of him.
I wrote earlier during the offseason that Rendon, not Werth, should be the player recognized as the face of Washington’s franchise, and I stand by that. He’s something special. Baseball is certainly a business, but hopefully Rizzo can work it so that Rendon is in DC for a very long time.
One thing that is certain, though, is that, Rendon will be playing in Washington for this season, and he’s easily one of the players I’m looking forward to seeing on the field this season.
Next: Crush of the Year: Michael Taylor
Sep 23, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Michael Taylor (18) hits a RBI double during the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Crush of the Year: Michael Taylor
I know what you’re thinking: how can I call Michael Taylor my “breakout player” to watch today when just a few days prior I questioned his ability to consistently produce in the offense if Jayson Werth should miss time? The simple answer is, I’m really, really hoping that Taylor proves me wrong.
It’s almost impossible to root against a guy like Taylor. From the day that he first set foot on a Major League field in a Nationals uniform, an August 12 game in New York against the Mets where Taylor hit his first career homer, the spunky outfielder seemed the sort that could easily become a fan favorite. The Post’s next-day coverage of the game only served to make Taylor more likeable.
Taylor struggled after that initial game, however. In the 17 games he played in 2014, Taylor hit .205/.279/.359 with just the one home run, though he did finish September on something of a hot streak. What remains to be seen is just how much that bit of big league action served to season the 23-year-old.
It also remains to be seen just what sort of role Taylor will play come Opening Day. A lot of that will come down to Werth’s status, and if the Bearded One isn’t ready to go, Taylor could see a lot of action in April. That’s when we’ll really find out what Taylor is made of. While I can’t see him becoming a monster power, I’m still looking forward to seeing what he can do. And if he makes me eat my words, I’ll happily do so. After all, how can you not cheer for a guy like him?
Next: Heartbreakers: Drew Storen
Sep 27, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Drew Storen (22) throws during the ninth inning against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Heartbreakers: Drew Storen
Drew Storen makes my list of players to watch in 2015, but, unfortunately, it’s for a much different reason than the previous three. In the case of Harper, Rendon, and Taylor, the reason to watch was for what great things they might accomplish. For Storen, watching is more about concern, and hoping that he doesn’t do what he’s done before.
That’s a question that may not be answered until well beyond the start of the season. After all, Storen was fantastic in the regular season before. He saved 43 games in 2011, and he replaced Rafael Soriano admirably late last year.
October’s been a different story. Twice in the NLDS, Storen has stepped on the mound with a lead, and twice he’s failed to measure up to the immensity of the moment. Drew Storen just seems to be that sort of player: the one set on breaking your heart.
And that’s exactly why Nationals fans (myself included) really need to watch Storen, as painful and anxiety-inducing as it might be. It’s true that Casey Janssen will be an option, waiting in the wings should he be needed to take over the ninth.
That really isn’t what I want to see, though. I want to watch Storen because I want to know what he’s made of. It has to be figured out whether or not this guy, the source of so much angst in DC, really possesses the ability, the mentality, the intestinal fortitude required of a late-game postseason pitcher. I just hope that if he isn’t, the Nats aren’t finding out via another late inning collapse.
Next: Heartbreakers: Jayson Werth
Aug 3, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth (28) reacts after striking out in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Heartbreakers: Jayson Werth
When Jayson Werth first joined the Nationals, and perhaps for several seasons after, he would have been the sort to make the list as a player to watch just because of what he could do on the field, because he was one of the best players on the Nationals.
Now, Werth is the player that needs to be watched to figure out what exactly he’s got left in the tank. His offseason hasn’t exactly been the most relaxing. Werth, who once said he could do “the hardest thing in the galaxy” (hit a baseball) couldn’t get out of jail time. He was labeled an “unlikeable” player by John Feinstein. And, to top it all off, there was the surgery.
The situation with Werth’s shoulder has evolved into a real “chicken or the egg” situation. Is the shoulder injury to blame for Werth’s lack of power, rather than age? Or, is the shoulder just the tip of the iceberg, the beginning of the end for a player who will soon be 36 and might not have the same abilities?
That’s a question that the Nationals likely won’t have an answer to until the season starts, and if his rehab takes longer than expected, it might not be until late April or even May. While the move to left field will take away a lot of the stress on Werth’s arm and body, in the long run, no one can beat Father Time, and Werth is no spring chicken.
It’s almost painful to put Werth, the first big name free agent that the Nationals really signed, on a list of players to watch simply because it might be the last chance to see him perform at anything close to a high level, but that’s just the nature of aging in sports. And I’ll be watching like the rest of you, and hoping Werth’s lack of power last year was an aberration and that he’s got at least one more great season left in him.