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To say the Washington Nationals are a team in a state of confusion would be an understatement. They have two “home” ball parks, one in Washington and one in San Juan, almost 2,000 miles away. In Washington, they play in Olympic Stadium, a ballpark built for the 1976 Olympics. The Nationals will also play 22 designated home games in Hiram Bithorn Stadium in the heart of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
They rank in the bottom quarter of payroll, and with an ever-shrinking fan base, it’s difficult to fathom revenue increasing anytime soon. Frank Robinson has done wonders with this team in his two seasons there, but his third season is likely to be much more difficult. In their 35 years of existence, the Nationals have only made the playoffs once, in 1981, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Livan Hernandez is expected to step up as the new ace of this staff. Zach Day, Tomo Ohka, and Claudio Vargas will fall in line as the 2, 3, and 4, and John Patterson and Sun-Woo Kim will each receive starts as the 5th man. Rocky Biddle will finish games off for the Nationals.
As big as the loss of Vasquez is sure to be, the loss of outfielder Vladimir Guerrero could hurt the team even more. The added responsibility at the plate will no doubt fall on the shoulders of the double-play tandem of Jose Vidro and Orlando Cabrera. One big signing the Nationals were able to complete last year was with outfielder Carl Everett. He’ll team up with third baseman Tony Batista, who is best known for his stance at the plate. Batista is notorious for his very open stance during the pitcher’s delivery to the plate, but he is sure to close up at contact.
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