Washington Nationals: Staff predictions for 2018
By Ron Juckett
Thomas Wilson, Staff Writer
The 2018 Washington Nationals return nearly all the key players from last season’s NL East winning team. And, while GM Mike Rizzo added no big names during the off season, this year’s club is poised to be even stronger as it heads towards opening day.
This time last year, there were questions about the Nationals’ bullpen. Fans had a right to be concerned. The first few months of the season saw many late inning leads disappear. However, following two mid-season trades, the back end of the bullpen became a weapon. So having a full season of Brandon Kintzler, Ryan Madson, and Sean Doolittle locking down the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings will be a huge upgrade this season.
The same can be said about Adam Eaton. The Nats’ left fielder missed most of 2017 due to knee surgery. And as much as fans loved Jayson Werth, there’s no question that having a healthy Eaton in left field is a big improvement over last year’s team.
With all of their stars back plus a full season of Eaton and the bullpen trio, 2018 is going to be a magical year for Washington. The line up will feature the NL leaders in steals (Trea Turner), batting average (Anthony Rendon), and home runs (Bryce Harper). Their 98 wins will be more than enough to win their third straight NL East title. And the Nationals will win their first ever playoff series. In fact, they’ll win three.