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Washington Nationals: Grading April’s Performance

By Ron Juckett

Apr 30, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Adam Lind (26) celebrates with Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman (11) after hitting a home run against the New York Mets in the eighth inning at Nationals Park. The Nationals won 23-5. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 30, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Adam Lind (26) celebrates with Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman (11) after hitting a home run against the New York Mets in the eighth inning at Nationals Park. The Nationals won 23-5. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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After one of the hottest months in team history, what grades did the Washington Nationals earn in April? How would you grade them?

The Washington Nationals end April with a five-game lead in the National League East over the Miami Marlins and the Philadelphia Phillies. Not shabby with a bullpen full of questions.

The Nats start May with a historically powerful offense and a starting rotation that is one of the best in baseball. At 17-8, they carry the best record in Major League Baseball. FanGraphs now projects Washington to win 93 games and the division by 12 games.

This has been an impressive month. The offense averaged 6.88 runs a game!

The turn of the calendar is as a good time as any to see where the Nationals are as a team. A monthly report card if you will.

As with the rest of Washington, there are extremes on both ends of the scale. Either players are performing out of their minds or scrubbing the stink of failure off in the shower. Average is not something found in the vocabulary, at least not right now.

Even the brainy kids in class coveted all those A+ grades while we smiled at our B’s and C’s. My school gave out report cards every six weeks, enough to cause heartburn if things did not go well.

With baseball season being six months, we will hand out six report cards. Grading is subjective. After watching nearly every pitch of the season, there is enough of a guide to see how well they are doing.

Sadly for Adam Eaton, this is his final report card. His ACL injuries will knock him out of the rest of the regular season. It would take a minor miracle to have him ready for the playoffs. We hope he is ready for West Palm Beach next spring.

Let’s see how the Nats grade this month. Not like there are any surprises here.

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