Early in the season there looked to be a little concern for the Nationals top prospect Bryce Harper as his numbers were solid and even good, but not the fantastic numbers that people expected. Given that Harper should technically be finishing up his Senior year in high school right now, it was pretty impressive to have an OPS in the .700-.800′s in Low-A baseball. The problem is both Harper and fans alike expected and hoped for more. While a lot of Nationals officials and baseball pundits tried to temper expectations, having Harper hit .235 with 1 home run, 1 double and just 7 RBI’s in the first couple weeks into the season made people worry.

Thats is when the Nationals and their fans got a reason for Harper’s struggles; he couldn’t see. Harper and his manager realized he wasn’t seeing the ball well and he was fitted for contacts. Since Harper got his vision back he has been on an absolute tear. His slash line is now .396/.472/.712, and he has 11 doubles, 8 home runs and 30 RBI’s. His numbers are even better in May, in 10 games he is hitting .500 (21 of 42) with 7 extra base hits and an OPS of 1.305. Harper’s plate discipline has also been extremely advanced, striking out just 26 times while earning 16 walks. In May there is even a better difference as he has 6 K’s and 4 walks. Now the only question amongst Nats fans is when he will make the jump to High Single-A Potomac.

A month ago it seemed ridiculous to consider promoting Harper until the 2nd half of the season, if at all. Now it is no longer a question of ‘if’ but when, and I think that answer will be decided within the next week or two. Harper simply doesn’t have anything left to prove at Low-A Hagerstown, and needs to make the jump so he can work against a higher level of pitching prospect.

Harper has just dominated every aspect of Low-A ball and has shown the ability to hit both lefty and righty pitching:

Against lefties: .395/.447/.558: In 43 AB’s he has 17 hits (5 for extra bases), and 4 walks to 11 K’s

Against righties: .396/.488/.809: In 68 AB’s he has 27 hits, including 7 doubles and 7 HR’s, 12 walks to 15 K’s

Now obviously the numbers against righties are more impressive, but remember Harper is a LH hitter, so the fact that he is doing so well from that side is really impressive.

The Nationals have already been aggressive moving up some of their top prospects this season, most notably moving two members of Harpers 2010 draft class, Robbie Ray and A.J. Cole up to Low-A before giving them a shot at short-season ball. I would expect to see Harper promoted in the next two weeks with the likely target date May 23rd. The Potomac Nationals begin a 6 game homestand that day, which would make it the perfect time to bring Harper up. Potomac also has a huge 14 game home stretch in the beginning of June which could be a target as well. I Think though the more prudent move would be to move him up in 10 days, as it will allow him to see more advanced pitching (as well as help sell tickets at the Nationals closest affiliate). The earlier move could also potentially put Harper on target to advance to Double-A by August, which could make him a potential mid-year call up to the majors next season. That might be too aggressive of an approach, but the Nationals could have a pretty good team next season with Ryan Zimmerman, and Stephen Strasburg back from injury, and Jordan Zimmermann, Jayson Werth, Ian Desmond, and Danny Espinosa forming a quality corps of players.

Mark Zuckerman from Nats Insider offered his 2011 predictions for the Nationals and I thought I should do the same. I will use Mark’s categories as well as add a few of my own. Here we go:

Who will represent the Nationals in the All-Star game:

3B Ryan Zimmerman- Unless he has a major slump to start the year I’d expect this to happen

wildcard selection: SS Ian Desmond- Desmond didn’t have the greatest rookie year, but I expect his defense to vastly improve and hitting at the top of the order he could be scoring a lot of runs, which could make voters/Bouchy take notice.

What will the Nationals home attendance be?

2,030,568- Last year the Nats had 1,800,000+, and I realize that was including the “Strasburg effect”, which sold out a few extra games, but I still expect attendance to improve. While Season ticket packages are down, the Nats are offer more mini-plans this season, so my guess is those will become more popular. I also do believe the Nationals will not only have a better record, but be vastly more competitive this season, which should help bring people out to the ballpark. It’s a bit of a bold prediction but I could see it happening.

When will Stephen Strasburg make his next start for the Washington Nationals?

September 5th vs. LA Dodgers- Part of me thinks they could shut him down till 2012, but if it checks out I think they will look for him to make 3-4 starts (preferably at home). If they start him on Monday Sept. 5th they could start him later in the week as well against the Astros. Since it is Labor day they could wait till Tuesday to boost attendance, either way I see it right about there when they have Strasburg start again.

Where will Bryce Harper finish this season?

Harrisburg- I know a lot of people think they will be promoting him earlier, but I don’t see him coming up to Washington until early 2012.

How many errors will Ian Desmond have this season?

14- I think we are going to see a vast improvement from Desmond for a number of reasons. He is a year older, and has been working on his defense. He will have a better 1B there to snag some of his more errant throws, and with the Nats being better in general maybe he won’t feel the need to rush so many throws.

How many RBI’s will Jayson Werth have?

95- While Werth hitting in the 2 hole will limit some of his opportunities I still see him being a major run producer.

Who will lead the pitching staff in wins?

John Lannan-14: Lannan I think has the best shot of being consistent throughout the year. Zimmermann is a better pitcher but he could get shut down later in the year. While Hernandez or Marquis could potentially be traded at the deadline.

How many Nats pitchers will have 10 or more wins?

4- I know it is a bold prediction, but I believe 4 of the 5 starters will end up with 10 or more wins (though probably two of them will just have 10). The Nats might not have the Phillies four aces, but they have 5 capable starters in the first time ever.

Who will lead the Nationals in Home runs?

Zimmerman, 32- Although Werth and LaRoche have some pop, I think Zimmerman is the Nationals best power hitter (at least until a certain prospect comes up).

How many Nationals will have 20 or more home runs?

4- Zimmerman, Werth, Morse, LaRoche: No surprises here, Desmond and Espinosa have some pop and could push the 20 HR mark, but will more likely fall in the 10-15 range. Ramos will add some HR’s as well, but he is splitting time so I doubt he gets that many as well.

Who will lead the Nationals in saves?

Drew Storen, 27- I know Storen has had some ST issues, but I think he will quickly get back into the swing of things and be the Nationals usual option to pick up saves. I would guess that both Sean Burnett and Tyler Clippard pick up 8+ saves as well, but Storen should be the main option.

When will the Nationals use their 6th starting pitcher?

Thur. June 2nd @ D-Backs

How many wins will the Nationals have this season?

78- A 9 game increase is a nice improvement and right about where I see the Nats this season.

What are your predictions?

The report is the Nationals have traded Nyjer Morgan to the Milwaukee Brewers for INF Cutter Dykstra (High-A) and cash (not all reports mention the cash).

While some may balk at the Nationals not getting more for Morgan, they need to remember just how much Morgan’s value plummeted last season. Not only was Morgan awful at the plate and in the field, but his antics and tantrums really limited his once promising stock. They Nationals had moved on with Rick Ankiel and Roger Bernadina for this season, and have also moved uber-prospect Bryce Harper to center field for the future. Morgan seemed like trade bait either now or by the deadline, but the Nationals must have felt that there was enough risk of him struggling again to make the trade right now.

Cutter Dykstra won’t make any National’s top prospect lists, but the former 54th overall pick began to show some promise last season. Dykstra is the son of former Major Leaguer Lenny Dykstra, and was considered a top prospect heading into the 2008 draft. While he struggled as a rookie and in 2009, he really picked up his game last season as he moved into the infield. He played 3B most of last year, but also saw some time at 2B. Dykstra never has shown much power, but he does have good speed to go along with a decent hitting ability. He’s just 21 years of age, and shows enough promise to be at least a utility/bench guy.

The Nationals didn’t get any ‘amazing’ value here, that will lead this team to the World Series, but they didn’t walk away empty handed. Getting any value for a player who at times last season had a major negative impact in the locker room is a win in my book. The Brewers helped fill the CF hole, but will need to hope that Morgan has matured greatly in the offseason.

A Guest Blog By Fanspeak contributing writer Kyle Howard:

Just about a month away from the offical start of the MLB 2011 season. Many offseason publicity and free agency moves make this year in the MLB very interesting. Crawford to the Red Sox, Cliff Lee back to the Phillies, Werth to the Nationals, and Rafeal Soriano are only some of the new faces, in new places from this years offseason transactions. Here is my run through on my projections for this year:

AL East:

1) Red Sox; It kills me to put the Soxs as my division winners being a diehard Yankees fan but the Red Sox really beefed up their line up with the acquisitions of Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez. Their line up is as good as any in baseball and their pitching staff when healthy is top 5 in the league. Look for the Sox to make it back to October with either a division title or a wild card spot.

2) Yankees; Many Yankee fans look at this offseason as a failure. Not being able to convince Cliff Lee or Zach Greinke to come to New York was a tough pill to swallow. Their line up is still as lethal as any in the game and with the acquisition of Rafeal Soriano to help set up Rivera in the 9th really helped the needs of the bullpen. The starting pitching is going to be the real question mark throughout the season. If Burnett can turn his season around, Nova can turn into an every 5 day starter and the Mark Prior project can make strides, the Yankees will be pushing for yet another division title. Look for them to contend with the Sox until the last month of the season and either walking away with a wild card spot or best case scenario a division title.

3) Orioles; The Orioles are my surprise team of the league this year. They have done a great job of loading up on young talent and I feel that 2011 is the year they start making some noise. With Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and Matt Wieters being the focal points of this team, the pitching talent needs to step up and you may be looking at a very dangerous team in the next few years. Look for the Orioles to have an above average year and finishing 3rd in the AL East.

4) Tampa Bay; Tampa Bay is in a transitioning period. They lost Crawford, Garza, and Soriano to free agentcy/trades and that leaves some big holes to fill for some young talented players in their farm system. With the acquistion of Manny and Damon, the Rays bring in some experience to their club with a more risk/reward mentality. The Rays staff is still a dangerous one lead by David Price and Evan Longoria will only improve and maybe a darkhorse candidate for MVP this year. Give the Rays some time to develop and they will be back in the postseason within the next couple of weeks.

5) Toronto; With still lingering questions on what Toronto’s next move is going to be, look for them to have a down year this year. Jose Bautista coming off a 54 home run year campaign and getting an extention I could see having a downer year. With some young potential pitching talent, look for the Blue Jays to use those as trade bait especially strikeout specialist Brandon Morrow.

AL Central:

1) Twins; It is difficult for me to pick a winner in this division being as the parity is so well distributed, so I will take experience and choose the Twinkees as the division winner. With Morneau coming back and the ability to resign Pavano, who is an innings machine, the Twins are poised to be the front runners of this jam packed division. If Nathan comes back healthy from his season ending surgury last year look for the Twins to be the winners of this division.

2) White Sox; Last year was a disappointment for the White Sox. With much publicity hovering over Ozzie Guillen, the White Sox struggled for most of the season. With the key offseason acquistion of Adam Dunn and resigning Paul Konerko this team will have quite a powerful 4 and 5 spots in their line up. Also, Buerhle leading the staff followed by Floyd and Danks, look for this team to contend with the Twins for the division title and the loser will be in the wild card hunt.

3) Tigers; The Tigers 2011 season is on the shoulders of how healthy/sober Miguel Cabrera can be. The man has as much talent as their is in the MLB but, off field troubles have put the Tigers in a spin. Offseason acquistion Victor Martinez adds some power to a line up that was in desperate need for help around Cabrera.  Verlander leads this young staff, and when he is on is one of the most powerful pitchers in the league. A sophmore slump from promising young star Rick Porcello was a key difference maker in the Tigers 2010 season. If Porcello can get over his 2nd year struggles, look for the Tigers to contend for a majority of the season, but I feel the off the field publicity and inexperience in pitching will lead them to a 3rd place finish.

4) Royals; Its been a bad decade for the Royals but, this year,  I can see them making some strides to becoming a better squad. Alex Gordon needs to become the player we all thought he would become when he was drafted 4th overall in 2005. Luke Hochevar splashed onto the scene last year with a decent season and showing signs he could become a decent starter at the Major league level. The Royals still have a long way to go but, if their draft picks start stepping up the next 5 years could look promising for this squad.

5) Indians; The Indians are in the rebuilding stage as an organization. With many young prospects gained from the Cliff Lee trade and Victor Martinez trade, look for this team to show a lot of new faces this year. Shin soo Choo is a rising star in the outfield showing signs of power and batting average and a good piece to build around. This will be a struggling year for the Indians and will stay that way unless they make some noise at the trade deadline.

AL West:

1) Angels; Coming off a very disappointing season last year look for the Angels to make it back to the postseason this year. With a star studed staff lead by Jared Weaver, Scott Kazmir, and Ervin Santana look for the pitching to help carry this team into October. Kendry Morales maybe the biggest difference maker on this team this season. If he comes back as healthy as he was before his ACL accident, look for him to be another darkhorse MVP candidate.

2) Texas; Losing Cliff Lee to free agency crippled this teams potential for years to come. Coming off of the organizations first World Series experience the sky was the limit for this team. Led by MVP Josh Hamilton and power slugging OF Nelson Cruz, this team will go as far as these 2 stars can stay healthy. With questions surrounding the starting staff, look for the Rangers to pick up an arm at the trade deadline in hopes of making another push into October.

3) Athletics; The Athletics have one of the best young pitching staffs in baseball and they live and die on how well these young guns can do. Grant Balfour, Dallas Braden, Trevor Cahill,  Brett Anderson, and Andrew Bailey are the cornerstones of this young franchise. Dont be surprised if they A’s make a push at the deadline by moving one of these players for a bat in an often weak line up with an aging Eric Chavez. Look for the Athletics to continue rebuilding and continue improvement for years to come.

4) Mariners; The Mariners need power and they need it fast. The Mariners were last in almost every statistical batting category last year and they need to add some power to that line up. With much promise in former 2nd overall pick Dustin Ackley from UNC, it wont be a surprise to see him starting by mid season. Felix Hernandez is just a decent offensive team away from being arguably the best pitcher and baseball and look for him to continue his dominence in 2011.

NL East:

1) Phillies; Many analyst have it already penciled in that the Phillies will be holding up another World Series Title come October in 2011. With possibly the best 4 starters ever to be assembled on a single team, look for them to dominate most of the teams in the NL. Additions such as Cliff Lee only make this team even stronger and a star studded line up to back him up it will be quite a challenge to take this team in a 7 game series. With Werth gone that opens up the spot for top prospect Dominic Brown to take the rains of right field. The Phillies will walk away with this division and by July be focusing on the Playoffs.

2) Braves; The Braves suprised many of us last year and this year are a team not to mess with. With Hudson, Hanson, and Lowe leading the staff and the emergence of Jason Heyward becoming a star in the MLB, and the acquisition of Dan Uggla,  look for the Braves to win a wild card and being on an upset alert come playoff time.

3) Marlins; The Marlins have been trying to develop young talent for most of the past couple of years in hopes of turning into a legit playoff squad. Lead by MVP candidate Hanley Rameriz and pitching stud Josh Johnson, the Marlins are looking for an additional bat and arm to help make a charge at a competitive East division.

4) Mets; I really do not know where to start with Los Mets. They have as much talent as a team would need to make an apperance in the postseason but, for some reason they never seem to all click at the same time. Look for this years Mets team to be centered around David Wright and a healthy Jose Reyes. Pitching is very suspect due to Johan having elbow surgery. Look for the Mets to try and compete but come up short in the East race.

5) Nationals; Being from Northern Virginia and having been to multiple Nats games its difficult for me to put them in this position. Strasburg is what brought this team alive and made them play with passion and pride but, with Tommy John Surgery dont look for Strasburg to be throwing until September, if they even decide to let him throw at all. With key acquistion of Jayson Werth, the Nats will be along the same lines of production as last year. The future looks bright in Washington and if Strasburg can come back as good as he left, and Harper doesn’t disappoint down in the minors, this team will be fun to watch in the coming years.

NL Central:

1) Cubs; I know its as shocking to you as it is to me that the Cubs are going to finish first in the division. The Cubs made a key move in acquiring Garza this winter, and if their young talent continues to produce look for them to be a sneaky good team come playoff time. This pick is definitely a stretch and my upset of the year.

2) Reds; The surprise team of the year in 2010, the Reds will be looking to capitalize on thier run last year and continue it into this year. Joey Votto is the leader of this squad and looks to duplicate is MVP year last year and transition it to this year. Pitching was a strong point for the Reds last year but, I feel that they will struggle this year with to much inconsistentcy. Look for the Reds to make it back to the post season and be a contender as a wild card.

3) Cardinals; The Cardinals would be first in the Central if it werent for the staggering news on Adam Wainwright out for the season. The loss of Wainwright equals trouble for this club. With the huge injury to the staff and an unhappy Albert Pujols, look for this club to have a difficult time with all the distractions and end up chasing a wild card spot.

4) Brewers; The Brewers have 2 young stars in Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, arguably 1 of the best tandems in the league. With the line up set up to produce runs the Brewers made a huge trade in aquiring Zack Greinke to help with the staff. Look for the Brewers to improve and possibly take the Cardinals spot and fighting for a spot in the post season.

5) Astros; It is easy to say that the Astros are in a rebuilding year. Losing Roy Oswalt to a trade pretty much sums it up. With young talent in the minors and an aging outfield minus Hunter Pence, look for the Astros to struggle most the year and look to being sellers at the deadline

6) Pirates; This team is the only team that manages to get great prospects and trade them away. The Pirates have not had a well established club since the 80′s and I don’t see that happening this year. Their one true star Andrew McCutchen is a lead-off hitter and you can’t build a team around that. Zack Duke will finish with a sub .500 win record and they will use many new arms from their farm system this year. Sorry so called “City of Champions” but you may want to concentrate on NFL happening in the fall and Crosby recovering over watching this squad this year.

NL West:

1) Giants; The defending World Series Champions have to be the favorites to come out of this jam packed West division. Offseason loss of World Series MVP, Edgar Renteria, leaves a big hole at shortstop and Juan Uribe’s departure to division rival LA leaves a big spot open at the utility role. With the young guns on the pitching staff such as Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner leading the way and crazy Wilson closing out games, look for this team to make it back to the Postseason in a coinflip of a division.

2) Rockies; the Rockies struggled last year despite the fact they are known as being a second half team only 2 years removed from their prolific playoff run. With flame thrower Ubaldo Jimenez leading the staff and Troy Tulowitzki the captain of the team. Look for the Rockies to make some noise and be a strong challenger for being the wild card team come October.

3) Padres; the Padres had a banner of a year last season coming down to the wire last season with the Giants going into the last game of the season. The Padres have an underrated pitching staff lead by rising star Mat Latos, with verterans such as Jon Garland to help mentor the fire baller. Free Agency hit the Padres hard by losing their superstar first basemen Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox. I can see the Padres relying on their arms to keep them in the race but with no one significant to replace Gonzalez, runs are going to be hard to come by for this club.

4) Diamondbacks; This team is tricky to pick. One day their hot the next day their not. After giving up Dan Haren to the Angels in return for some prospects, the diamondbacks are clearly a process in the making. Relying heavily on star outfielder Justin Upton is going to be too much for this team to overcome.

Playoff Predition:

AL                                           NL                                         World Series

Red Sox                              Giants                               Phillies vs. Red Sox

Yankees                            Cubs                                         Phillies win 4-2

Angels                               Phillies

Twins                                 Rockies

A Guest Blog By Fanspeak Contributing Writer Alan zlot

The realization began to sink in a bit today that while spring training is a glorious time of the year it is monotonous and with just pitchers and catchers cycling through the drills, very basic right now but none-the less it beats anything else I can think of doing on a beautiful Saturday morning.

A Guest Blog By Fanspeak Contributing Writer Alan Zlot:

If the good Lord picked one weather day to represent spring training for every baseball team spread out over Florida and Arizona, he would have chosen today.

With clear blue skies and temperatures hovering around 80 degrees, the Washington Nationals picked up the pace on the fourth day of workouts for pitchers and catchers.

Yesterday’s big story was no doubt Stephen Strasburg’s pain free throwing session. Strasburg had Tommy John surgery at the end of last season and the Nationals are in no hurry to rush the pitching phenom back any time soon.

The talk around camp today was the impending arrival of another ready made MLB phenom, outfielder Bryce Harper. Harper is due to report on Sunday when the rest of the positional players report. Strasburg and his battery mates worked on the fundamentals of the game like covering first base and they even did some situational bunting.

Of course, there was also lots of running and stretching. Strasburg did no throwing today.

The Nationals spring training facility is located in Viera, Fla. The team reports to Space Coast Stadium each morning and then walks the quarter mile to the four beautifully groomed and perfectly greened practice fields, which surround the stadium.

Upon seeing the walk by the players today, I came up with the name for my diary segment that will include player’s interviews, “the walk and talk with…”

Today I was fortunate enough to meet and interview a fantastic young personality in the Nats bullpen.His refreshing attitude on playing the game of baseball really made me feel as though the future of Americas Past Time is in safe hands.

Today’s walk and talk is with pitcher Drew Storen. Nats Manager Jim Riggleman has called Storen the closer of the future in DC.Storen had quite a whirlwind of a year in 2010. Aside from turning just 23 last August, Drew was promoted from the AAA Syracuse Chiefs to the Nationals on April-30.

In the span of six days, Storen accomplished a lot for a young major league relief pitcher. He debuted in the show May 17 against the St. Louis Cardinals.In three batters faced, Storen collected two outs, with Matt Holliday becoming his first MLB strikeout, as well as hitting his first batter, Ryan Ludwick.

Working two-thirds of an inning two days later, Storen would collect his first major league win against the NY Mets. Four days later in an inter-league game against the Orioles, Storen smacked his first big league hit, a line drive to left center field off Kevin Millwood.

Storen is a born closer. He was one of college baseball’s premier closers during a stellar two-year collegiate career at Stanford University. He was a first team All-Pac-10 selection following each of his two seasons in a Cardinal uniform (2008 and ’09) and he led Stanford in both wins and saves in 2009, becoming the first Cardinal pitcher since Jeff Ballard in 1984 to accomplish the feat.

Originally drafted by the Yankees in 2007, Storen did not sign so that he could attend Stanford. After selecting pitching phenom Steven Strasburg with the number one overall pick in 2009, the Nationals drafted Storen, a native of Brownsburg, IN, nine spots later, making him the tenth overall pick.

The Nationals added a little more to Storen’s whirlwind year when, on Jul. 30, they traded his good friend and their saves leader, Matt Capps, to the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline.

Capps was leading the Nats with 26 saves at the time of the trade and was the winning pitcher for the National league in the All-Star game. Storen has said on numerous occasions that Capps had a big part in his success last season, taking him under his wing after the two met at the Nationals Fan fest last February.

Eight days following the Capps trade, Storen knew his time was coming to collect his first major league save. He figured it would probably come in L.A on the road and he was right. “I kept sitting out there (in the bullpen) knowing that the call was coming,” Storen said. “When the call came I was so pumped up and excited that I don’t even remember who I got out, I think I got Belliard to end it.”

It was Bellliard he got out to end it. Belliard pinch it for Brad Ausmus and grounded out to Adam Dunn to end the game. Storen would go onto to record four more saves last season with a 3.58 ERA in 54 appearances. He would boast a record of 4-4 with 52 strikeouts in just 55.1 innings pitched.

“I had closed at Stanford and was pretty good but this was like nothing I had ever prepared for, I was so happy when I got that first one (save)”. Storen said. “I was nervous and excited all at once, it was all like a big blur.” He ended the year 4-4 with a 3.58 ERA.

When I asked him if Nats Manager Jim Riggleman had sat with him to discuss expectations he said: “Not really, I know what I have to do and I don’t really feel like that I have actually won the job yet. There are some guys here that are capable and I just have to go out there and do what I know how to do”.

The scouting report on Storen is that he defiantly has a closers mentality. He does not get rattled and is intensely competitive; giving him the perfect closer’s makeup. He has a devastating slider and a mid 90s fastball. Storen developed a changeup during the fall two seasons ago where he worked as a starter to further enhance all three pitches, as he throws a lot of strikes and attacks the hitter.

When asked about the veteran leadership the Nats acquired in the off-season by signing free agents like Jason Werth and Adam Laroche, he simply replied: “I’m excited, the leadership these guys bring is important to me, as a young guy I just love the experience a guy like (Jason) Werth comes with.

Originally drafted by the Yankees in 2007, Storen did not sign so that he could attend Stanford. After selecting pitching phenom Steven Strasburg with the number one overall pick in 2009, the Nationals drafted Storen, a native of Brownsburg, IN, nine spots later, making him the tenth overall pick.

The Nationals added a little more to Storen’s whirlwind year when, on Jul. 30, they traded his good friend and their saves leader, Matt Capps, to the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline.

Capps was leading the Nats with 26 saves at the time of the trade and was the winning pitcher for the National league in the All-Star game. Storen has said on numerous occasions that Capps had a big part in his success last season, taking him under his wing after the two met at the Nationals Fan fest last February.

Eight days following the Capps trade, Storen knew his time was coming to collect his first major league save. He figured it would probably come in L.A on the road and he was right. “I kept sitting out there (in the bullpen) knowing that the call was coming,” Storen said. “When the call came I was so pumped up and excited that I don’t even remember who I got out, I think I got Belliard to end it.”

It was Bellliard he got out to end it. Belliard pinch it for Brad Ausmus and grounded out to Adam Dunn to end the game. Storen would go onto to record four more saves last season with a 3.58 ERA in 54 appearances. He would boast a record of 4-4 with 52 strikeouts in just 55.1 innings pitched.

“I had closed at Stanford and was pretty good but this was like nothing I had ever prepared for, I was so happy when I got that first one (save)”. Storen said. “I was nervous and excited all at once, it was all like a big blur.” He ended the year 4-4 with a 3.58 ERA.

When I asked him if Nats Manager Jim Riggleman had sat with him to discuss expectations he said: “Not really, I know what I have to do and I don’t really feel like that I have actually won the job yet. There are some guys here that are capable and I just have to go out there and do what I know how to do”.

The scouting report on Storen is that he defiantly has a closers mentality. He does not get rattled and is intensely competitive; giving him the perfect closer’s makeup. He has a devastating slider and a mid 90s fastball. Storen developed a changeup during the fall two seasons ago where he worked as a starter to further enhance all three pitches, as he throws a lot of strikes and attacks the hitter.

When asked about the veteran leadership the Nats acquired in the off-season by signing free agents like Jason Werth and Adam Laroche, he simply replied: “I’m excited, the leadership these guys bring is important to me, as a young guy I just love the experience a guy like (Jason) Werth comes with.

A Guest Blog By Fanspeak Contributing Writer Alan ZLot:

Let us just get right down to business. The current temperature in Viera Florida is 74 degrees and articles are popping up in all local papers about spring training and spring break. Since I am a 41-year-old happily married man with four great kids, you will get the diary from spring training. My wife does not allow me near the beaches this time of year.

My name is Alan Zlotorzynski and I can usually be found writing about the Washington Capitals here on Fanspeak. I am fortunate and blessed to live less than five miles from the Washington Nationals Spring Training complex in Viera, Florida.

Since Fanspeak is working to established itself as the NUMBER ONE website for the voice of the fan, I am going to keep a Nationals spring training diary. I promise to deliver stories that one can only get from being less than five feet from your favorite Nationals on a daily basis during the spring.

I will take great photos and I am working on some interviews with some of the players that will be an integral part of Washington’s 2011 season. I am currently trying to get credentialed (hint…hint…anyone that can help) and will work almost daily to capture the best of the 2011 Washington Nationals before they head north in April.

If you talk to most Nationals fans, it is clear that they realize that 2012 has the potential to be their year. 2012 marks when Stephen Strasburg will be healthy again, and when top prospect Bryce Harper could look to make his major league debut. Beyond those two, the Nationals have a number of other reasons to be optimistic a year from now. Young players such as Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa, Wilson Ramos, and Jordan Zimmermann (among others) should be established pieces of a good team. Other prospects like Catcher Derek Norris and LHP Sammy Solis should be ready to contribute as well. Also, if the Nationals choose a top college pitcher with their first round pick in this year’s draft he could be ready as well. In addition to all of that young talent that the Nationals are looking forward to, Washington has one of the best players in the game in Ryan Zimmerman, and two offseason signings, Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche to build around. The question remains, just how good can the Nationals be this season?

To figure this out I am going to compare the Nationals offense, defense, rotation, and bullpen to their fellow N.L. East compatriots:

OFFENSE:

The Nationals swapped Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham for Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche, but I’d expect a significant improvement in their offense. Now Werth is the key, as he might not have the power of Dunn, but he is just as dangerous of a hitter. The most important thing for Werth though is to just stay healthy. The Nats lost Willingham for 1/3 of the season last year and their offense suffered without him. If Werth can be counted on for 150+ games, their offense should be fine. LaRoche needs to stay healthy as well, but he isn’t near the concern of Werth.

The Nationals will need more than just a healthy Werth to improve on an offense that ranked in the bottom third (and usually closer to the bottom) in every major category. The first thing to point out is just why Werth’s health is so important. If Werth can play just about every day, then that means only one of Roger Bernadina and Mike Morse is in the lineup every day, allowing the Nats to take advantage of their strengths. Also it means a much more potent bat is on the bench for pinch hitting duties. Now obviously the Nationals need to see Morse sustain his success from last year, and Bernadina to continue to grow. While neither player is a star, they can be an effective platoon for the Nationals.

Another area where the Nationals can improve is the 660 at bats that Adam Kennedy and Christian Guzman had last year, that now should go to Danny Espinosa (and a few more going Ian Desmond’s way), which should be a big improvement. Espinosa at his peak profiles as a solid-to-good starter, and should perform near that level this season. I’d expect him to offer more production than what Guzman and Kennedy combined for. The Nationals will also likely see a boost in production from the catching department. Pudge Rodriguez held his own last season, but in reality his numbers died off after a huge April. He should probably receive no more than half a season’s work at this point in his career, which is exactly why the Nationals went out and acquired Wilson Ramos. Ramos is a pretty good catching prospect, who likely won’t be an All-Star, but should be a very good starter. He will definitely improve on last year’s back up catcher’s Wil Nieves at bats (.554 OPS, ouch), and will be at least a slight improvement over Pudge’s at bats as well.

One area where the Nationals greatly improved, but is often overlooked is their bench. Last season Justin Maxwell, Alberto Gonzalez (still could be back), Wil Taveras, and Willie Harris combined for about 550 at bats and the results weren’t pretty. This year you can expect the majority of those at bats to go to Jerry Harriston Jr., Rick Ankiel, and Matt Stairs. While none of Harriston Jr., Ankiel or Stairs are stars, they should offer a big time improvement over the bench options from last season.

Now I don’t want to make it seem like the Nationals will have a top ranked offense or mash their way into the postseason, but I do think it is important to acknowledge that improvements have been made, and while there aren’t any additional superstar players (i.e. Werth=Dunn), the quantity of major league talent as gone up. I’d expect the Nationals offensive numbers to be somewhere in the high teens (15-19 range) in most major categories. While it won’t be a drastic change, it is a step in the right direction.

Now even with those improvements the Nationals offense is far from great, but it should be more competitive. Pound for pound it pales in comparison to both the Phillies and Braves, but it definitely is a lot closer than it was before. The Marlins had a solid offense last season, right about where the Nats should be this year, so you could go either way as to who is better. Florida did lose Dan Uggla from the middle of their lineup, but they should get better full seasons from top young guys Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton, so that is basically a wash. I think overall I’d give it to the Marlins by a slight edge, but the Nationals offense will be right behind them. The Mets on the other hand are trending downward, and while they should have a few players returning from injury this year, I think their offense will be well below the Nationals in terms of production.

While the Nationals improved on offense, it is really just one part of the equation, and in the coming days I’ll look at their defense, rotation and bullpen and how it stacks up.

The Washington Nationals came into this offseason with the willingness to spend money and help begin their climb to atop the NL East. While Rome or a contender wasn’t built in a day, the Nationals made some strides that should at least get them out of the basement of their division. Washington never met their top stated goal of finding an ace pitcher, but on the positive side they didn’t sell out their farm system either for a short term fix. Here is what Washington did do and how it might affect them going forward:

STARTING ROTATION:

The Nationals didn’t land an ace, but they did bring in some help for the rotation, in Chien-Ming Wang (he was with the Nats last year, but never threw a pitch due to injury) and Tom Gorzelanny. Neither pitcher will make fans forget about Stephen Strasburg this year, but both can be effective starting pitchers when healthy, which is a big step in the right direction from previous years.

Wang- He very well could start the season on the D.L. and with a rehab assignment, so he can work his way back into shape. I don’t think he will be the 18 game winner that he was with the Yankees, but he can be a a solid ground ball pitcher, and should give the Nationals a number of quality innings when he is healthy.

Gorzelanny- The Nationals made the trade for Gorzelanny when he became expendable in Chicago and its not a bad fit. Gorzelanny has had a couple of bad years prior to last season, but he seemed to figure some things out with the Cubs. Although he is still no more than a number 3 pitcher on a mediocre staff (which would be a generous name for the Nationals sans Strasburg), he does have some value. He is a lefty and he does have three years of team control left. The first two years of which Gorzelanny will be extremely cheap, making him a good fit. With Jason Marquis a free agent after this year (as well as Livan Hernandez) it’s not a bad idea to acquire another veteran pitcher.

Analysis: Wang and Gorzelanny don’t really dull the sting of losing out on Lee or Greinke, but they do make this rotation better if they can ensure that the likes of J.D. Martin, Scott Olsen, and Craig Stammen aren’t getting a high number of starts. They might not be the type of pitchers who can dominate a game, but they can keep it close enough for the Nationals bullpen and lineup to win the game.

BULLPEN:

While the Nationals kinda bizarrely let Joel Peralta go this offseason, what they really needed to replace this offseason was the 4 months of Matt Capps last year. Unfortunately I really don’t know if they accomplished that goal. They brought in Henry Rodriguez via trade and Todd Coffey off the free agent market, but I don’t think that equals Capps (maybe Peralta, but not Capps).

Todd Coffey- There really isn’t anything special about Coffey, he is your typical right-handed middle reliever. He’s hung around the big leagues and posted okay numbers for much of his career, but has never been a real stopper. His signing is more for depth purposes than anything else.

Henry Rodriguez- Rodriguez is a 23-year old fire baller they acquired in the Josh Willingham deal. While stuff wise he could close, he lacks the command and control to do so effectively. While his fastball can be used as a weapon, he’s the type of guy that will need to be on a short leash and kept away from high leverage situations until he shows he can handle it.

Analysis: While Rodriguez has some upside, I think the Nationals made a mistake not acquiring a more veteran reliever (or two). Yes the bullpen was a success last year and Capps can be ‘replaced’ if guys like Storen continue to improve, but its not enough. Washington should have added an arm like Jon Rauch, to help stabilize things in case some of the young relievers regress this season.

LINE-UP/BENCH:

The Nationals wanted to improve their defense this offseason without sacrificing too much in the way of offense. So Washington watched Adam Dunn leave via free agency and traded away Josh Willingham to replace them with Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche. While those moves will hurt them in the home run department, and a little overall offensively, they were sound moves overall. Defensively the Nationals should be a lot better, which will save quite a few runs for D.C.

Also the Nationals received value in both the Werth for Dunn swap and LaRoche for Willingham. The Nationals traded away Willingham netting them Rodriguez and another prospect (nothing too significant, but he could be a platoon guy), and the two draft picks the received for Dunn are both higher than the single draft pick they gave up for Werth. The Nationals also added Matt Stairs, Rick Ankiel, and Jerry Hairston Jr. as bench/role players.

Jayson Werth: The Nationals may have very well overpaid for Werth, but he does bring them a significant offensive and defensive threat. He will offer a good amount of protection for Zimmerman and LaRoche, and quickly become a fan favorite. The Nationals need to hope that he can stay healthy all year, and make people forget about Adam Dunn.

Adam LaRoche: LaRoche is a slightly above average first baseman, but he is consistent and offers good defense. Now he doesn’t have the range of top defensive first basemen, but he is a major improvement over Adam Dunn in another way, his receiving skills. Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond were both among the league leaders in throwing errors (Desmond was by far). While some of that had to do with their errant throws, another piece of that was that Dunn couldn’t save anything that wasn’t right to him. LaRoche should be a big upgrade in that area for the Nationals and save them a number of free bases.

Rick Ankiel: Ankiel at one time was considered an effective everyday player, but now is considered really just a role player. He should be a solid pinch hitting option and potential platoon guy for the Nationals. While he shouldn’t start for any long period of time, he is an okay injury fill in, and bench guy.

Matt Stairs: Stairs at this point in his career is purely a pinch hitter, but he is a pretty good one to have around. He too can fill in for the outfield as well at first base, but his best role is that of a pinch hitter. If he makes the Nationals, he will be a good option for Riggleman to have late in the game.

Jerry Hairston Jr.: Hairston Jr. is a bit of a do everything utility guy who can play any position except catcher. He is a good guy to have on the bench and can even be a solid spot starter if someone hits the 15 day D.L. While not a major offensive threat, he puts up okay numbers for a middle infielder/center fielder (his numbers were a bit deflated last year due to Petco). He also is a positive defender at every position, making him a great late inning defensive replacement as well. Hairston also gives the Nationals insurance in case Espinosa or Desmond struggle and need to make adjustments in the minors.

ANALYSIS: While the key to the Nationals will be how their young guys (Wilson Ramos, Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa) develop, and if Michael Morse can expand upon his ‘breakout’ year, the Nationals did improve around them this offseason. I think the defensive improvement will go a long way to making the Nationals better, and improving their young pitchers’ confidence (not to mention their young fielders). While the offense might be a little down, it shouldn’t be a drastic downturn, and it should be made up for with improved play from the rest of the lineup and a vastly improved bench. This is the area I think the Nationals did the most work and improved the greatest.

OVERALL: It wasn’t a great offseason for the Nationals, but it was a good start. I really like what they did with their lineup and defense, the latter of which will help with their pitching staff as well. Not landing an ace was disappointing, but somewhat expected. They made minor improvements to their rotation, but it is far from perfect. The bullpen is one area where I’m disappointed as there were a number of free agent options that would have made the Nationals strength, even more dominate. I think best case scenario for the Nationals is their bullpen stays as effective as it was last season, but doesn’t really improve.

All-in-all the Nationals laid the groundwork to be more of a contender in 2012, when Strasburg should return and Bryce Harper could be ready for the show. The Nationals though I think have done enough to work their way out of the cellar in 2011, but are likely destined for another below .500 finish.

After months of worrying about who will man 1B, with Adam Dunn’s departure the Nationals finally have their man. While rumors of LaRoche signing in D.C. have persisted since Dunn left for Chicago, it is nice that it is finally done. While the Nationals have some internal options for 1B, such as Mike Morse, none were really sound choices. At the same time the free agent market of first base options had dried up meaning if LaRoche signed elsewhere, the Nationals would be hurting.

First let me say I’m a big fan of this deal, and believe that LaRoche can be a solid addition to the Nationals lineup, but I do want to temper expectations, in saying that LaRoche is at best an above average first baseman. LaRoche isn’t going to suddenly make the Nationals World Series contenders, or represent the team in the Mid-Summer Classic. What he will do is give them consistent production from the position for the two or three years. His deal which pays him $7 million this year, $8 million in 2012, and $10 million or a $1 million buyout in 2013, is a pretty fair market price.

The Nationals were wise here to sign LaRoche and ignore the Prince Fielder free agent market next offseason. Fielder might be a far superior hitter and even a better all-around player, but he will cost 3x the amount and require at least a 7 year commitment. That kind of cost doesn’t make sense when the Nationals just got rid of a similar power hitting first baseman, Adam Dunn. The Nationals would be better suited in using that money over a number of positions (for instance the rotation).

The Nationals took a bold move here and proclaimed their focus is on defense. While fans might be disappointed in LaRoche’s offensive output compared to Dunn, they should be quite happy with his defense. Last year both Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond had a high number of errors (Desmond’s were REALLY high), and part of the reason is Dunn had trouble handling marginal throws. LaRoche will turn a number of those errors into outs and the Nationals will be better for it. Sure they will miss Dunn’s bat, but this is a faster, and better defensive team now. Essentially the Nationals have traded Dunn and Willingham for LaRoche and Werth. While offensively that is a negative, defensively it should be a major positive. Now if the Nationals can see Derek Norris (who still could be a trade candidate) and Bryce Harper join the team in 2012, they could have a very impressive lineup.

LaRoche isn’t a true long-term solution, but he buys the Nats time to develop a frontline first baseman (or to trade for one). The move could also free up the Nationals to trade Chris Marrero, if he continues to improve, to an A.L. team where he profiles better as a DH. All in all, the Nationals made the right move here, considering their options on the table. LaRoche, maybe isn’t the key to winning championships, but he should help take them out of the cellar.