Sometimes when watching the Nationals it can be hard to guess exactly what year it is. The same man who started the team’s first game in the District in 2005 — Livan Hernandez — was back on the mound again six years later for an Opening Day loss Thursday.
They have still never had a winning season, finishing with a .500 record just once since moving here from Montreal. For the optimists, however, there are subtle signs of change — even if fans won’t see all of them on the field in 2011.
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Free agent outfielder Jayson Werth signed a massive seven-year, $126 million contract in the offseason. That marked the first time a top player willingly chose to play for Washington, and the organization hopes Werth’s presence acts as a lure for future free agents.
But the Nats’ front office is also developing its own talent. Top pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg, 22, is making slow, but steady progress as he recovers from Tommy John surgery to repair a torn elbow ligament in his right arm.
Meanwhile, Bryce Harper, last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, is ready to begin his professional career at low-A Hagerstown. A big league appearance is unlikely this season. But Harper’s prodigious talent has led some scouts to predict the 18-year-old will be patrolling the Washington outfield as soon as 2012.
Those two will join a team that already has its share of young talent. Star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is still just 26 and coming off an All-Star season. The promising middle infield is comprised of shortstop Ian Desmond, 25, and second baseman Danny Espinosa, 23. And no organization has a deeper pool of young catchers with Wilson Ramos, 23, fighting for playing time this season and top prospect Derek Norris, 22, on the way.
The pitching staff is a mix of veterans and back-end starters. But Jordan Zimmermann, who is 19 months removed from his own Tommy John surgery, is considered a rising star after a brilliant spring training.
“What they’re trying to do is not going to happen overnight. It’s not going to happen over the course of one season,” Strasburg said. “I’m just happy to be a part of it. I know that the guys that we’re bringing in and the guys that we have already means we’re going in the right direction. We’ll be making a big splash sometime soon.”
