Washington Nationals April 2016 Month In Review
We look back at the first month for the Washington Nationals in 2016.
After finishing the month of April at 10-13 last season, the Washington Nationals are off to a much better start in 2016. With their win yesterday over the Cardinals, the Nats head into the month of May with a 16-7 record and in first place in the National League East.
As is the case in any month, there were many highs and lows for this team in the month of April. For example, there was the three game sweep of the Minnesota Twins that ended on a 16th inning walk-off home run by Chris Heisey, but also being swept by the Phillies this week where the offense managed only two runs and was shut out in back-to-back games. Plus, there were the two grand slams by Bryce Harper and the seven run seventh inning in Miami back on the 19th.
Of course, April didn’t happen without one major injury as center fielder Ben Revere got hurt in the season opener against the Atlanta Braves and had to go on the disabled list because of an oblique injury. Revere is currently rehabbing in triple-A Syracuse and could return to the big league club this weekend against the Cubs.
Starting today, we are going to be handing out grades for three facets of the Washington Nationals each month. Those three are the offense, the starting pitching, and the bullpen. So, without further adieu, here is my report card for the first month of the 2016 season. Feel free to share your grades as well in the comment section. All stats are as of April 30.
Next: Offense
Offense: B-
So far, the Nationals’ offense has not done well in the batting average category. Their .230 team average is the third lowest of any team in the National League, ahead of only the Braves and the Brewers. But, there are three players that have stood out: Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, and Wilson Ramos.
First, let’s start with the reigning NL MVP, who has picked up right where he left off last season. Harper is hitting .286 with nine home runs, 24 RBI’s, and has a .406 on-base percentage. Plus, he is stealing more bases (five-for-six) in steals. This month, Harper hit his 100th career home run back on April 14 against Julio Teheran.
When the Nats brought in Murphy, nobody thought he would get off to this good of a start. The second baseman is hitting .370 with two home runs, 11 RBI’s, a .433 on-base percentage, and 11 multi-hit games. Right now, he is tied for third in the NL in hits (30).
However, the surprise of this group is Wilson Ramos. Ramos has been on the bereavement list for the last week because of a death in the family. The Nats’ catcher is showing good signs at the plate after having LASIK surgery during spring training (.316, two home runs, eight RBI’s).
There have been some disappointments on the offense so far such as center fielder Michael Taylor (.183 average out of the leadoff spot), Ryan Zimmerman (.219, one home run, and seven RBI’s), and Jayson Werth (.211, four home runs, 13 RBI’s) just to name a few.
With that being said, it will be interesting to watch how this offense performs once Revere is back in the lineup. At least, they have stayed relatively healthy and are getting contributions from Harper, Murphy, and Ramos.
Next: Starting Pitching
Starting Pitching: A
This offseason, the national media talked about the impact Dusty Baker would have on the Washington Nationals and he definitely has made one. But, another thing to look at is the influence that new pitching coach Mike Maddux has had on this rotation.
Through the first 23 games of the season, the Nats’ starters are 12-4 with a 2.28 ERA (second in the NL behind the Cubs in both categories). One thing the Nats have done is gone deep into games to help out the new-look bullpen. They have thrown the most innings of any team in the NL (146) and the third most in baseball.
Plus, it’s amazing when you think about how great this rotation has been and that their ace, Max Scherzer, has been the worst of the five starters. However, most of Scherzer’s problems have been because of lack of command on his fastball and his problems in the first inning (eight of 15 earned runs allowed in the 1st).
Even though Scherzer has been average, the other four have had great starts. Tanner Roark had his best start of the year with 15 strikeouts back on April 23 against the Twins. Gio Gonzalez, who got a late start to his season because of the days off in the first week, has pitched 6+ innings in each of his four starts (1.42 ERA). Joe Ross has shown good poise in his first four starts as well (0.79 ERA).
Finally, I think its important to look at the start Stephen Strasburg has gotten off to. In his last three games, Strasburg has 29 strikeouts and he leads the National League in K’s (40). His 2.25 ERA this month was over two runs lower than his ERA from April 2015 (4.60).
Overall, this rotation has shown it is one of the more talented ones in the game. I like how Maddux has them tracking pitches the day before they start and you can see that it has an impact when they take the mound the following day. Clearly, the rotation has been the best aspect of the team through the first month.
Next: Bullpen
Bullpen: A
Coming into the season, the bullpen was one of the major question marks on this team. While you can’t fully answer the question in one month, the bullpen has definitely been a pleasant surprise. So far, Nats’ relievers have a 2.53 ERA, which is the lowest of any team in the National League. At the same time, this group of relievers doesn’t strike many people out. They have 66 K’s, which is tied with the Cubs for the fourth fewest in the NL.
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First, let’s look at the closer, Jonathan Papelbon. Papelbon did have one blown save in Philadelphia, but he is 8-for-9 in save opportunities and providing some form of consistency for the Washington Nationals in the ninth inning.
As far as the setup options go, Felipe Rivero has the highest ERA of any reliever (3.55), but his 14 K’s are the most of the relief options. The surprise has been Blake Treinen, who has settled in as the right-handed option in the eighth and has been able to get out of key jams with his sinker. He gave up three runs, but two of them came in Friday’s outing against St. Louis.
The Nats brought in some new pitchers this offseason to help with the bullpen. Shawn Kelley has yet to give up a run in ten appearances, lefties are only hitting .077 against Oliver Perez, and Yusmeiro Petit has come up big in two games for the Nationals as the long man, whether it was filling in for Ross on April 21 because of the blister or keeping the team in the 16-inning game against the Twins.
Next: Four Run First Leads To 6-1 Win Over Cardinals
While its only one month, the team has not felt the loss of Drew Storen in the bullpen just yet. It may not be striking many hitters out, but it has still been effective and Baker has managed it well when you consider that the relievers have thrown the third fewest innings (67.2) of any NL team.