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Washington Nationals: DoD Staff 2019 Season Predictions

By Matt Holleran

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 22: Ryan Zimmerman #11 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off two-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Nationals Park on August 22, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 22: Ryan Zimmerman #11 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off two-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Nationals Park on August 22, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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Washington Nationals Anthony Rendon
Washington Nationals Anthony Rendon /

Team M.V.P

Tom- Anthony Rendon

“Anthony Rendon, who will sign a contract extension with the Nationals in May. Rendon will become one of baseball’s household names on his way to a monster season that will finally land him a spot on the NL All-Star team.”

Ross – Anthony Rendon

“The safest pick for team MVP is Anthony Rendon.  Max Scherzer is a close #2, but the increase in opposition quality in the NL East leads me to think he’ll regress slightly.  However, the pitching in the NL East outside of Washington is relatively weak. Rendon will have a career year with the bat and finish in the Top 5 of the NL MVP vote.”

Danny – Trea Turner

“It would be really easy to go with Juan Soto, Anthony Rendon or Max Scherzer here. But for me, if this team is going to reach its full potential, Trea Turner is going to have to put up an MVP caliber season. Turner has given us a little taste of his skill set in each of the past three seasons. When he broke into the league in 2016, he hit for a high average, hit 13 home runs and stole 33 bags in just 73 games. In 2017, Turner played in just 98 games but stole 46 bags. In 2018, Turner played in all 162 games, but stole 43 bags, which was 3 fewer than he stole in 2017 despite playing in 64 more games. We all know that Davey has challenged Turner to attempt 75-80 steals this season. That may seem a bit lofty considering Turner’s previous high in attempts was 54 back in 2017. On the flip side, Turner has the speed to go almost anytime he reaches base, so maybe 75-80 attempts aren’t totally out of the question. Look for Turner to put it all together this season. According to Baseball-Reference, Turner’s 162 game average line is .289/.346/.456 with 20 home runs, 72 RBIs and 56 stolen bases. If he’s able to put those numbers up, not only will he be the Nationals team MVP, but he’ll be receiving votes for NL MVP.  ”

Ed – Trea Turner

“I’ve always thought that Trea Turner has been underappreciated throughout the league. With Bryce Harper gone, many Nationals fans believe it is time for Anthony Rendon to take the helm and lead this team. While Rendon and Max Scherzer may be the faces of the franchise, I think 2019 will be the year Trea Turner breaks out on a national level. Turner’s numbers have increased every season, and when he gets on base few people in the league can do as much damage as he can. Manager Dave Martinez has spoken publicly this spring about Turner and the numbers he wants him to put up in the steals and attempts category. Martinez has also said that he likes Turner batting leadoff. This combined with continued improvement in the field and in the batter’s box, I think the Nationals team MVP in 2019 will be Trea Turner.”

Matt – Stephen Strasburg

“For the Washington Nationals to achieve their ultimate goal of winning a World Series this season, they will need a strong year from 30-year-old right-hander Stephen Strasburg. It is hard to believe this will be Strasburg’s 10th season in the Nations Capitol, and in my opinion, it will be his best. Strasburg will place top five in the National League in strikeouts, E.R.A. and innings pitched en route to winning his first Cy Young Award of his career.”

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