Washington Nationals: 2017 turning points for another title
By Ron Juckett
SURVIVING THE STUMBLE
Chris Lacey has a painful turning point:
The turning point for the Washington Nationals during the 2017 campaign was when superstar outfielder Bryce Harper suffered a knee injury earlier this year.
The Nats already had a comfortable lead in the National League East when Harper went down.
They weren’t in any danger of losing their top spot in the division, but their overall performance on the diamond could’ve suffered, due to the loss of the team’s best player.
However, the club adapted and several players on the roster upped their game, such as second baseman Daniel Murphy, third baseman Anthony Rendon, and outfielder Michael Taylor to name a few.
The Nationals showed how deep their lineup is, by having different players come through at crucial moments when Harper was sidelined.
This proved they don’t rely on just one player to carry the club, but it’s a total team effort.
The club is expected to have Harper return before the postseason which will make their lineup potent in October.
The club will be a tough matchup during the postseason, considering the lineup can score in a variety of ways, the starting rotation has a bevy of arms to shut down teams and an improved bullpen.
It’s never easy losing a player the caliber of Harper, but the Nationals didn’t crumble when he went down and are poised to have a deep run in October.