2011 Washington Nationals
We made it to the 80 win mark! The 2011 Washington Nationals finished with an 80-81 record, good for the sixth seed in our tournament.
This season, the Nats were led by three managers. Jim Riggleman, fired after going 38-37 to start the season, John McLaren, who took over for three games, and Davey Johnson.
Of the two bullpen arms mentioned thus far, neither can compare to right-hander Tyler Clippard‘s 2011 season.
In 88.1 innings, Clippard posted a 1.83 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP. He earned an All-Star bid, the first of his career. His performance this season led to him earning the closer role the following season, in which he saved 32 games.
Continuing the trend of powerful outfielders, Michael Morse‘s career year came in 2011. His 31 home runs were ten more home runs than the next best on his team as Danny Espinosa recorded 21. While he didn’t earn an All-Star appearance, he received down-ballot votes for MVP.
The 2011 Nationals will need their pitching to shine in order to win this tournament. The starting rotation will need to go deep enough into games to not tire out an elite bullpen, consisting of arms such as Clippard, Drew Storen, and Todd Coffey.