Wide-eyed and smiling, Trea Turner was just south of giddy. Max Scherzer was pitching a no-hitter against the New York Mets, and Turner, just 22 years old and in his 26th major league game, was standing at shortstop.
Considering the changes coming to the Washington Nationals, Turner should be prepared to repeat the view. Shortstop is among a handful of important spots that Nationals will likely be filling with a youngster next season. Alterations will sweep through the roster, from the rotation to the infield to the outfield. No place will be more in flux than the bullpen. There’s also that manager hunt.
In the infield, catcher Wilson Ramos is eligible for arbitration. His average dipped to .229 this season, down from .267 the previous year. His playing time increased for the third consecutive season. His batting average decreased for the third consecutive season. Ramos was adept at throwing out runners this year, but his hands behind the plate are in question. Before the season ended, thoughts about Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters, who will be an unrestricted free agent, began to pop up. Wieters, a three-time all-star, has issues, too. He’s played just 101 games during the last two seasons.
Anthony Rendon should return to third base, which would move Yunel Escobar out of a position he often didn’t appear interested in playing. The question is what to do with Escobar. He could start at shortstop, a veteran in front of Turner. The 32-year-old Escobar has played most of his career at shortstop despite not excelling at the position. His career fielding percentage is right around league average. His last full season at short, in 2014 for the Tampa Bay Rays, Escobar committed 16 errors. His total zone fielding number was minus-17. For a point of comparison, Ian Desmond was minus-9 this season.
Escobar could also play second. But, that leaves the questions of what to do with arbitration-eligible Danny Espinosa. He’s arguably the best fielder on the team. His bat was rejuvenated before he was benched following the return of Rendon. Escobar hit .314 this past season after a three-year period in which he hit .256. As he ages, it’s hard to imagine his defense improving. The Nationals will have to determine how much value they put in his bat. He’s under contract until 2017.
Turner, who joined the organization midseason following an odd trade delay with the San Diego Padres, is hoping for more steadiness next season. He appears set to take over for one of the girders of the organization, Desmond.
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“Obviously, there’s stuff I would like to do,” Turner said. “I’d like to be here the entire year and whatnot, but there’s also things out of my control. Just like the trade last year — whatever’s asked of me, and whatever I need to do, I’ll do it to the best of my ability. I’m a pretty competitive guy and I mean, I try to be perfect. It’s a hard game to be perfect in, so I go out there and try to have fun and try to do my best with whatever I can and whatever is presented to me.”
First base will again be expected to belong to Ryan Zimmerman, if he’s healthy. He’s played 156 games the last two seasons. Moving him to first at the start of the season was done in part to protect his body. It did not work. Successful fill-in Clint Robinson remains under team control.
The outfield appears more clear: Jayson Werth in left field, Michael A. Taylor in center, and Bryce Harper in right. Taylor was forced to become the full-time center fielder this past season because of Denard Span’s injuries. Span is a free agent. His likely departure leaves more of a leadership void than a physical one, considering what Taylor showed in the field. Taylor strikes out often, and is still bending through his learning curve. His future is down in the lineup, not at the top.
Younger arms will move into the rotation. Injuries allowed Joe Ross to step in and show he can be a capable major-league pitcher. Tanner Roark will be an inexpensive option at the back end of the rotation. Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez are lined up in front. Prospect Lucas Giolito finished last season at Double-A Harrisburg. Doug Fister and Jordan Zimmermann will be unrestricted free agents.
“For us collectively as a team to not our achieve our goal, it’s very disappointing,” Scherzer said. “We have to figure out how we’re going to play better next year.”
That leaves the bullpen, with all the workings of a daytime television drama. Closer Jonathan Papelbon finished the season suspended from the team after starting a dugout fight with Harper. Deposed closer Drew Storen finished the season with a broken right thumb after slamming it in the lockbox of his locker. Storen also has a damaged ego since he was removed from the closer’s role for the third time. Both could be sent out during the offseason.
Veteran left-hander Matt Thornton is an unrestricted free agent, and veteran right-hander Casey Janssen has a mutual option available on his contract. The Nationals can buy him out for $1.5 million. Janssen finished with a 4.95 ERA, his highest since 2009. In back-to-back seasons, his ERA has risen more than a run.
“I think on a personal level, I underachieved a little bit,” Janssen said. “I think a lot of people would have that same kind of statement.”
Situated square among the underachievers was Blake Treinen. Expected to be the setup man, Treinen was sent to the minor leagues in July. He returned to post a scoreless August, but ran through September and October with a 5.65 ERA. For the season, left-handed batters hit a staggering .336 against him.
The only positive revelation in the bullpen was left-hander Felipe Rivero. The rookie finished with a 2.97 ERA and was able to get right-handed batters out (.200 batting average against) almost as often as left-handed batters (.198).
Craig Stammen’s return from a torn right flexor muscle could help stabilize a bullpen that missed his innings. Rookie Rafael Martin is also intriguing because of his stratospheric strikeout rate of 18.2 per nine innings. When recalled in September, Martin was effective. He finished the final month of the season with a 2.45 ERA and .154 BAA.
A long winter is ahead for general manager Mike Rizzo. In addition to a new manager, he will need to find solutions in the bullpen, guess which veterans he can rely on in the field and try to unlock the infield surplus.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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