Nationals.com

2006 record
71-91, fifth, National League East

Projected batting order
1. 2B Felipe Lopez:
.274 BA, 11 HR, 52 RBI
2. SS Cristian Guzman:
.219 BA, 4 HR, 31 RBI in 2005
3. 3B Ryan Zimmerman:
.287 BA, 20 HR, 110 RBI
4. 1B Nick Johnson:
.290 BA, 23 HR, 77 RBI
5. RF Austin Kearns:
.264 BA, 24 HR, 86 RBI
6. C Brian Schneider:
.256 BA, 4 HR, 55 RBI
7. LF Alex Escobar:
.356 BA, 4 HR, 18 RBI
8. CF Nook Logan:
.300 BA, 1 HR, 8 RBI


Projected rotation
1. RHP John Patterson, 1-2, 4.43 ERA
2. RHP Tim Redding, 0-6, 10.57 ERA in 2005
3. RHP Jerome Williams, 0-2, 7.30 ERA
4. RHP Joel Hanrahan, 0-0, 0.00 ERA
5. RHP Shawn Hill, 1-3, 4.66 ERA

Projected bullpen
Closer: RHP Chad Cordero, 29 saves, 3.19 ERA
RH setup man: Jon Rauch, 3.35 ERA

The new guys
RHP Emiliano Fruto: Fruto, 22, pitched in 22 games for the Mariners last season and had a 5.50 ERA. Before his promotion, Fruto had a 3.18 ERA and struck out 55 batters in 45 1/3 innings for Triple-A Tacoma. He has a good curveball and changeup.

Hanrahan: He was the Dodgers' second-round selection in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft. In 2006, his sixth and final season with the Dodgers, he went a combined 11-5 with a 3.58 ERA in 26 starts for Triple-A Las Vegas and Double-A Jacksonville. In seven seasons as a professional, Hanrahan is 62-45 with a 4.23 ERA in 174 games.

LHP Ray King: King, who is considered a workhorse out of the bullpen, pitched for the Rockies last season, when he appeared in 67 games and posted a 4.43 ERA. King could join Micah Bowie as one of the lefties out of the bullpen, and if he makes the Major League roster, King will earn $850,000.

OF Michael Restovich: He has played in the big leagues each of the last five seasons, hitting .250 with six home runs and 20 RBIs in 137 games with the Twins, Rockies, Pirates and Cubs.

OF Chris Snelling: Part of the Jose Vidro trade, Snelling has some big-league experience. In 59 games, he's hit .237 with five home runs and 12 RBIs. But Snelling comes with caution, as he has been injury-prone during his eight years in professional baseball. Snelling has had 10 surgeries, seven of which were on his left knee.

Redding: The 28-year-old Redding went 12-10 with a 3.40 ERA in 29 games last season for Triple-A Charlotte. He ranked among the International League leaders in complete games, innings, strikeouts, wins and ERA. In five big-league seasons (2001-05), Redding went 21-34 with a 5.16 ERA in 101 games (76 starts) with the Astros, Padres and Yankees. His best season came in 2003, when he finished 10-14 with a 3.68 ERA in 33 games (32 starts) for the Astros.

Williams: Once considered a top prospect in the Giants organization, shoulder and elbow injuries hampered Williams in 2004 before he was traded to the Cubs during the 2005 season. Williams, 25, spent last season in the Cubs and Athletics organizations. He appeared in five Major League games in '06 and gave up 10 runs in 12 1/3 innings. Williams is 23-24 with a 4.03 ERA in 70 games (65 starts) spanning parts of four big-league seasons.

SS Josh Wilson: The 25-year-old infielder batted .307 with 10 home runs, 45 RBIs and 15 stolen bases last season for Colorado Springs of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. Florida's third-round selection in the 1999 First-Year Player Draft, he has hit at least 15 home runs in each of the last three seasons, including a career-high 17 for Triple-A Albuquerque in 2005. He played in 11 games for the Marlins in 2005.

Prospects to watch
1B Larry Broadway: The 26-year-old will get the first crack at becoming the starting first baseman if Johnson is not ready.

OF Kory Casto: The 24-year-old was the organization's Minor League Player of the Year the past two seasons. In 2005, he hit .290 with 22 home runs and 90 RBIs for Class A Potomac. Last season, Casto had a .272 average with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs for Harrisburg. He also spent time in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .302 with nine RBIs.

LHP Matt Chico: The 23-year-old southpaw was acquired from the Diamondbacks in August in the Livan Hernandez trade and has never pitched higher than the Double-A level.

C Jesus Flores: The team seems set on giving the backup job to Flores, who was taken in the 2006 Rule 5 Draft. The organization seems to think that Flores will succeed Schneider in the future. Flores, 22, played with a bad thumb last season, but he hit .266 with 21 home runs and 70 RBIs in 120 games with Class A St. Lucie, the Mets' Florida State League affiliate.

RHP Zechry Zinicola: Dana Brown, Washington's director of amateur scouting, told general manager Jim Bowden to trade reliever Gary Majewski because Zinicola would part of the bullpen in 2007. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, Zinicola found himself in Double-A by the end of the season.

Returning from injury
Guzman: By trading Vidro to the Mariners and announcing that Lopez will switch from shortstop to second base, the Nationals sent a strong message that Guzman has recovered from a torn labrum in his right shoulder and will be their regular shortstop in 2007. Guzman's problems date back to his days with the Twins, but the pain grew worse in a Spring Training game against the Marlins last March.

Escobar: His season came to an end on Aug. 25, when he separated his left shoulder while diving back to first base against the Braves. He is expected to compete for the left-field job.

Hill: He pitched in only six games last year because of elbow soreness, but surgery was not required. Hill is expected to compete for one of the four available spots in the rotation.

Johnson: The 28-year-old first baseman had the best season of his career in 2006, but it ended on a bad note when he broke his leg in a collision with Kearns on Sept. 23 at Shea Stadium. Johnson recently said that he was still limping and most likely will not be ready for Spring Training or Opening Day.

LHP Mike O'Connor: He had minor left elbow surgery this offseason, and manager Manny Acta said that O'Connor will not compete early in Spring Training. O'Connor has had the elbow problems since early in the second half of 2006.

Patterson: The 2006 season was a lost one for Patterson. He pitched in only eight games because of a pinched nerve in his forearm. The right-hander tried to pitch through the pain during the first half of the season, but he eventually had surgery on July 20. Patterson missed the remainder of the season.

On the rebound
Schneider: He struggled offensively through much the 2006 season, but he hit .324 (44-for-136) in his final 42 games. Some people in the organization believe that playing in the World Baseball Classic, and not having much of a Spring Training last year, played a role in his production.

Long gone
RHP Tony Armas Jr.: The Nationals/Expos waited more than five years for Armas to reach his potential, but injuries and inconsistency on the mound stood in the way. The 2006 season was no different. He had a stint on the disabled list for the fifth consecutive season and posted an ERA of 5.03.

RHP Pedro Astacio: A right forearm injury limited him to 17 games last year. When Astacio was on the mound, opposing hitters had a .291 average against him.

OF Jose Guillen: Elbow and hamstring injuries limited his season to just 69 games, and the blame he placed on Robert F. Kennedy Stadium's large dimensions turned off people in the organization.

RHP Ramon Ortiz: He worked hard and always had a positive attitude, but it didn't translate on the mound. Ortiz pitched in a relatively large ballpark but was still hit hard. His biggest highlight of the season was the near-no-hitter he threw against the Cardinals in September.

OF Alfonso Soriano: He spent only one year with the Nationals, but it was a memorable one. Soriano became the charter member of the 40-40-40 club (home runs, stolen bases and doubles) and made a successful switch from second base to left field. He ended up leading the Major Leagues in outfield assists.

Vidro: Lack of RBI production and limited range at second base convinced the Nationals that Vidro was no longer in their plans, so they traded him to the Mariners.

2006 hitting leaders (min. 200 at-bats)
Avg.: Johnson, .290
OBP: Johnson, .428
SLG: Soriano, .560
Runs: Soriano, 119
RBIs: Zimmerman, 110
Hits: Soriano, 179
2B: Johnson, 46
3B: Zimmerman & Bernie Castro, 3
HR: Soriano, 46
SB: Soriano, 41

2006 pitching leaders (min. 30 IP)
IP: Ortiz, 190 2/3
W: Ortiz, 11
L: Ortiz, 16
Win %: Cordero, 7-4, .636
S: Cordero, 29
ERA: Cordero, 3.19
K: Ortiz, 104
K/9: Patterson, 9.30
WHIP: Cordero, 1.10

Triple play: Three questions that need answers

1. Besides Patterson, who will be in the starting rotation?
Nobody knows right now. At least 12 pitchers will be vying for the final four spots. There aren't many games in Spring Training for the candidates to prove their worth, so all of them, with the exception of Patterson, will pitch on less than three days' rest.

2. How will Manny Acta perform as a manager?
In terms of wins and losses, it's too early to make that determination. But Acta has already shown that he has done his homework. He already announced that Logan will be his starting center fielder entering Spring Training and told Schneider that he must take on more of a leadership role. One other thing is certain: Acta will not allow his players to make excuses whenever something goes wrong.

3. Will Guzman return to being the player who helped the Twins win three division titles?
He has had surgery on his eyes and right shoulder, which might explain why he had a disappointing season in 2005, when he hit .219. Acta has said that Guzman may bat second in the order, and the Nationals showed that they have confidence in him by switching Lopez from shortstop to second base.

The bottom line
It may be a long season for the Nationals, because they lack depth in their starting rotation. They have enough offense to score some runs, but they may be involved in a lot of high-scoring games.