Washington Nationals: DoD Staff 2019 Season Predictions

Nationals’s regular season record and season finish. 

Tom –  92-70. N.L. East Champs.  Lose in World Series to Houston Astros.

“Washington will be in a dogfight with the Mets early in the season before New York fades due to injuries, while Philadelphia will the serve as the primary competition for the Nats until mid-September. In the end, Washington’s superior starting rotation and bullpen will prove to be the difference as the Nats clinch a fifth NL East title in the last eight seasons.”

Ross – Win between 86 and 90 games – #1 Wild Card Spot.  Lose in NLDS to Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I think the Washington Nationals will finish as the #1 Wild Card team and host the Wild Card game.  The N.L. East is so tight that the Nats, Phillies, Braves, and Mets will all eat into each other’s win count on a near-weekly basis.  This caps the upside of all of the teams, so the division winner will more than likely be the #2 or #3 seed in the playoffs. However, I do believe the 2nd place NL East team will host the Wild Card game because all of the teams are so good and will crush it outside of division play.  As for an actual prediction, I will say the Nats win the Wild Card game behind Max Scherzer but fall to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS once again.”

Matt- 98-64.  N.L. East Champs  Defeat Houston Astros to win 2019 World Series.

“For the second straight year there is going to be a parade in Washington D.C., but this time it won’t be for the Washington Capitals. This Nationals team is going to break through in the playoffs in a big way, winning the National League East, in route to winning their first World Series in franchise history. Washington’s pitching will guide them through a tough first playoff series matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies, an NLCS matchup with the Chicago Cubs, and eventually the World Series against the Houston Astros. The vibe around this Nationals team is something they have not had since their move back to D.C. They are confident and flying under the radar, and that is how they like it. So save some money for World Series baseball in Washington D.C. this October, the Nationals are going to be there.”

Danny- 90-72.  N.L. East Champs. Lose to Chicago Cubs in NLCS.

“The Nationals are going to have a tough road ahead of them this year in the ultra-competitive NL East. The days of blindly walking into a division title are over. The Braves won the East last year and remain a young and exciting club, though many question if they did enough to keep up with the rest of the East. After signing Bryce Harper to a record-setting contract and trading for another NL East foe, JT Realmuto, the Phillies have improved their team immensely. The Mets made huge strides as well in improving both their lineup, with the additions of Robinson Cano and Jed Lowrie, as well as to the bullpen by bringing in Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia. With that being said, each of those teams have question marks. Do the Braves and Phillies have strong enough pitching (both rotation and bullpen)? Can the Mets rotation stay healthy? The door is open for a Nationals team with a bunch of new faces to win this division. I think the Patrick Corbin and Anibal Sanchez additions help bring the division title back to D.C. Oh, and on top of the division title, the Nats finally break through to the NLCS, but ultimately lose to the Cubs in 7.”

Ed- 92-70.  Lose in NLCS.

“I have high hopes for the 2019 Washington Nationals. With a full season of Juan Soto and Victor Robles, the additions of Brian Dozier, Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki, I think that overall the lineup is improved compared to a year ago. Both the bullpen and the starting rotation are also both significantly better in 2019. Kyle Barraclough and Trevor Rosenthal give the Nat’s much more depth on the back end of the bullpen, but also allow other members of the bullpen to slide into a more suitable role. Matt Grace and Wander Suero are both capable arms who will now pitch in lower leverage situations. And of course, the recent addition of Tony Sipp gives the Nat’s a true lefty specialist, a role that Sammy Solis wasn’t able to fulfill. And maybe the biggest improvement that has been made this offseason is to the starting rotation. By adding Patrick Corbin, Anibal Sanchez, and bringing back Jeremy Hellickson, the Nationals have arguably the best starting rotation in baseball. Because of the improvements in all three facets of the game, I predict that the Nationals will finish the season 92-70 and eventually lose in the NLCS.”