The Washington Nationals surprised everyone with their playoff run in 2019 ultimately winning the World Series. The 2020 season is two weeks away and the Nationals are hopeful regarding their chances. Can the Nationals defend their World Series Championship?
The 2020 season will only be sixty games leaving little room for mistakes for teams to make the playoffs. Even though teams winning back to back championships is rare the Nationals feel they could be the exception. There are strengths and weaknesses that affect their chances but, do they have enough talent to get through the crazy obstacles of the 2020 season?
Championship Rotation
One of the strengths of the Nationals is that they have one of the best rotations in baseball. This rotation includes Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin at the top three spots. These are Cy Young winners and All-Stars that dominate their opponents. A big reason that they have a chance at a championship in 2020 is that they can count on their starters.
The Bullpen looks decent with plenty of young talented pitchers to work with. There are a lot of circumstances that their pitchers will need to be ready for. There veteran relievers like closer Sean Doolittle, Daniel Hudson, and Will Harris could be a big part of their success. Since it is a short season the Nationals will have to remember that to get length out of their pitching.
The line up is still good even though they lost Anthony Rendon in the offseason. Juan Soto is on the fast track to stardom as he will be a big part of the lineup. Their depth will be tested especially after Ryan Zimmerman opted out of the season. Eric Thames and Howie Kendrick are going to help fill in at first- base and provide power to the offense.
Power Offense
The line up is still good even though they lost Anthony Rendon in the offseason. Juan Soto is on the fast track to stardom as he will be a big part of the lineup. Their depth will be tested especially after Ryan Zimmerman opted out of the season. Eric Thames and Howie Kendrick are going to help fill in at the first base position and provide power to the offense.
One of their weaknesses could be their infield because they have some problems at certain positions. For one thing, they are still trying to figure out who will play third base. Additionally, the Nationals will be using a lot of young players to fill positions. The outfield looks to be a strength for them because there is a lot of versatility that they can mix and match with.
The Washington Nationals will be trying to defend their title in 2020 and their chances look good unless they run into bad luck. A team to watch again this year with plenty of young talent and the best rotation in MLB.
