OF Michael Taylor
If there’s one intriguing roster battle to watch this spring training, it’s the battle for the final outfield spot between Brian Goodwin and Michael Taylor. This was my toughest decision. My choice would be to go with Goodwin, but my guess is it will end up being Taylor who gets the final spot.
Both of these players have position versatility in that they can play all three outfield positions if needed. Goodwin got the call up in August last year. While he only played in 22 games, he hit .286 with five RBI’s.
The question for this spring training is whether he can impress the coaching staff enough to go with him over Taylor (both have one minor league option left). Taylor was on last year’s postseason roster, but was sent down to triple-A Syracuse during the season.
Taylor has disappointed at times over the last two seasons, but he has had some good spring training numbers. If you combine 2015 and 2016, he has nine home runs and 23 RBI’s during the exhibition season.
With that last spot, the Washington Nationals might want to add some speed since they don’t have a pinch-running option on the bench who could steal a base late in the game. Taylor may have the edge there. But, Goodwin didn’t even attempt to steal a base last year at the big league level (15 steals in Syracuse).
In the end, Taylor will do enough to get the job, but Goodwin won’t be too far away. So, we have projected all the hitters. Now, it’s time to look at the pitchers and we start with the rotation.