They are by far the worst team in Major League Baseball. Yet the Nationals have already landed one player in next week’s Major League Baseball All-Star game — third baseman Ryan Zimmerman — and somehow this motley crew could add another. Here are the possibilities:
Cristian Guzman » He was Washington’s lone representative in last year’s All-Star game. He missed out on a reserve spot. But NL manager Charlie Manuel named him one of five candidates who can be voted in by fans before Thursday’s deadline. Batting a team-best .318 with 90 hits in just 66 games. No other logical candidates at shortstop.
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Adam Dunn » Big slugger would be a natural for the Home Run Derby. He has 22 homers with 59 RBI and NL-high 64 walks. Starters Raul Ibanez and Carlos Beltran are both on the disabled list so Dunn will be in the mix if either needs to be replaced. A high strikeout rate and poor defense hurts.
Nick Johnson » No chance for Johnson despite a fine season with a .295 batting average, and a .407 on-base percentage. Even if someone gets hurt, the NL already has four first basemen on the roster.
John Lannan » With a modest 6-5 record, Lannan had little hope to crack an NL roster with just 13 pitchers. But his 3.45 ERA does rank 17th in the NL so maybe an injury or two gets him another look.
