Washington Nationals: DoD Staff Discussing The Start To The 2022 Season

With over a quarter of the MLB season in the books, the staff at District On Deck and Half Street High Heat got together to answer a few questions regarding Washington’s disappointing start to the year. Special thanks to Nick and Ryan for their help.

Is the Nationals’ 14-28 start to the season surprising?

Ryan: No not at all. On paper, before the season started there were arguably two teams worse than the Nationals and so far Washington has the second-worst record in the majors. Before the season I predicted the starting rotation would be historically bad and so far I have been proven right. They rank last in fWAR (0.2) and 29th in ERA (5.58) and FIP (5.08). I thought they were a 100+ loss team and through 42 games they’re on pace to exceed that.

Max: No. This marked the first full year of Washington’s rebuild and opted to roll with multiple veterans over younger pieces viewed as part of the team’s future. Their defense has been atrocious — tied for second to last in errors (29) and are 26th in DRS (-12). The offense is too inconsistent, relying on huge scoring outbursts to win and the starting rotation cannot be trusted to keep the team in close games.

Nick: Not at all. This team had so many holes to fill during the offseason and did next to nothing to fill them. Now with injuries starting to play a role, coupled with their refusal to call up certain top prospects who appear to be MLB ready, they are playing exactly as they should be.