Washington Nationals: Matt Wieters
The regular season is but an extended victory lap for the Washington Nationals in the NL East. The Phillies, Marlins and Braves remain mired in a rebuild, while the Mets can’t manage to keep more than a handful of players healthy at a time. The Nats aren’t going to see their string of division titles snapped any time soon.
The Nationals have built one of the most complete lineups in the National League around Bryce Harper. There is speed and power up and down the lineup, and a potential All-Star at nearly every position. The only identifiable weak spot is behind the plate, as Matt Wieters was awful in his first season in D.C.
The four-time All-Star (ok, catcher was a very weak position in the American League during his time with the Orioles) hit only .225/.288/.344 with 10 home runs and 52 RBI in 123 games. Wieters, always known for a strong throwing arm, threw out only 25 percent of base stealers, putting him below the MLB average for the first time in his career.
Wieters looked out of shape with the Nats last year, and it showed in his play. He reported to Spring Training in phenomenal shape and has been crushing the ball. If he is able to maintain his body, Wieters could be looking at a big year, and would make a dominant lineup even more impossible to pitch to.