Fantasy Baseball: 2020 Washington Nationals fantasy preview

2020 Washington Nationals projected starting rotation

Stephen Strasburg, RHP (18-6, 3.32 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 251 K in 209 IP)
Max Scherzer, RHP (11-7, 2.92 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 243 K in 172.1 IP)
Patrick Corbin, LHP (14-7, 3.25 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 238 K in 202 IP)
Anibal Sanchez, RHP (11-8, 3.85 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 134 K in 166 IP)
Joe Ross, RHP (4-4, 5.48 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 57 K in 64 IP)
Sean Doolittle, LHP (6-5, 4.05 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 66 K in 60 IP, 29/35 saves)

Scherzer had his lowest innings total since 2009 last year and he still turned out stats worthy of a SP1. I slightly prefer Strasburg, but it’s close and mostly based on age. After all, Scherzer is 35 years old.

You really can’t go wrong with either one at the top of your rotation. Some savvy drafters may be able to pluck one at the end of the first and the other at the turn of round 2.

Corbin would be the ace of many other pitching staffs, but not here. If you are one of the people that likes to snare power bats in the first two or three rounds, you may be able to get Corbin as your staff ace in the fourth round of standard leagues. He really shouldn’t stick around that long though. The WHIP, though higher than most aces, really wont hurt you.

Remember when Anibal was done after the 2017 season? He revived in Atlanta in 2018 and had a solid year for the Nats last year. I still view Anibal as a spot starter. The WHIP is too high and the strikeouts too low to throw him out there against everyone.

Joe Ross has never started more than 19 games in a season and hasn’t posted a sub-5 ERA since 2016. He is 27, and time is running out for him to prove himself. If you’re going to take a chance like this at the end of the draft, teammate Austin Voth is likely the better pick.

Doolittle had by far the worst statistical season of his career last year. He may be in a closer platoon situation with righty Daniel Hudson also having closer experience. His leash is much shorter this year than last. Doolittle is in the lower tier of closers, and if you are looking for an arm to fill out your bullpen at the end, Hudson is a savvy pick.

Prospects to watch:

Wil Crowe is one of the better pitching prospects that the Nats have, but his luster wore off a little after getting blasted at AAA Fresno last season. Much like Anibal, the peripherals are good enough to use him as a spot starter if he gets called up, but the strikeout totals aren’t much to write home about. 241 strikeouts in 290 minor league innings is average at best.

Ben Braymer is another guy that was great for AA Harrisburg, but got lit up at Fresno. Whoever pitches better between he and Crowe is the best candidate to take the spot of Ross or Voth if they both struggle. Braymer is more consistent, but he’s still not a guy I would roll out there every time.

There are 8 more of these where this came from! Sports may be on hold, but we will have baseball sometime this season. We here at FanSided Fantasy are going to make sure you’re prepared!