Washington Nationals: Five potential pitfalls for 2018

Realistically, a typical manager should not make or break your season. A good manager could add a couple wins to the ledger, while a bad one can subtract a few victories, but with the Nationals’ expected cushion, these things should not really matter in the grand scheme of 2018.

However, a truly awful manager can completely derail a season. After all, it has not been too long since Matt Williams manned the clubhouse in Washington. Bobby Valentine and the 2012 Red Sox also come to mind.

A manager with poor on-field skills coupled with even worse people skills will bring down a team. No one likes working for an incompetent boss, especially when you travel across the country and spend nearly every day with him for seven months. Williams was not equipped to handle the day-to-day pressures of a contending team, and it showed on the field.

I do not think Dave Martinez will be a disaster. He learned from Joe Maddon, who is one of the few managers who actually makes a noticeable positive impact on his club. But with any rookie manager, the possibility for implosion is there.