Washington Nationals: 5 predictions on Dave Martinez’s style

With the Washington Nationals giving Dave Martinez his first chance to manage, here are five things we might see him do. The results could lead to winning.

Over the next several months, the Washington Nationals, along with you, will get to know new manager Dave Martinez and how he ticks.

When brought on board, the understanding is Martinez is a firm believer in baseball’s growing analytics along with a reputation for player friendliness. He replaces Dusty Baker, who is a mater of player relations, but drove some crazy managing by his gut and not what numbers dictated.

Baker won consecutive National Least East crowns, but you know what happened from there.

Martinez will approach situations differently but, with no hard managerial experience of his own, what should we expect to see? He learned from one of the top skippers of the game in Joe Maddon, but can you see Bryce Harper wearing a onesie with his favorite teddy bear boarding a team flight? (Bet you would get good money selling that pic.)

As we start this critical year for Washington, what will we see from Martinez in the dugout? Given a roster capable of winning 100 games along with a weak division, his skills should not get a hard test until October. He has plenty of time to make mistakes and learn.

But, he faces a tough test from the start as the Nats carry the biggest expectations in franchise history. With the All-Star Game hosted in DC this July, more attention than usual will focus on Washington and their rookie manager.

Martinez assembled a top-notch coaching staff around him that are young and hungry. Now, the time has come to show what they can do

Here are five things you may see Martinez do his first year in Washington.