2020 Washington Nationals Preview: Projected rotation, starting lineup, prospects, win total
SportsLine's John Bollman went 14-1 on his MLB win total bets last season. Here he previews the Nationals and tells you whether to go Over or Under 89 wins.
Washington Nationals
2019 record: 93-69
Record in one-run games: 17-21
O/U win total from Willam Hill: 89
Key Additions: Will Harris, Eric Thames, Starlin Castro
Key Losses: Anthony Rendon, Brian Dozier
Anthony Rendon is a massive loss for the Nationals, but they do have their top prospect in Carter Kieboom playing third base for the 2020 season and beyond. Will Harris is a huge addition to the second-worst bullpen in baseball last year, and Eric Thames should platoon with Ryan Zimmerman and Howie Kendrick at first base.
Projected Rotation
1) Max Scherzer
2) Stephen Strasburg
3) Patrick Corbin
4) Anibal Sanchez
5) Joe Ross
The only "good" part about Anthony Rendon leaving in free agency was that the Nationals were able to sign Stephen Strasburg to a long-term deal. They return their top-five starting pitching staff from the 2019 season, with Erik Fedde and Austin Voth to provide some starting pitching depth.
Fantasy-relevant relievers
Sean Doolittle (projected 27 saves, 3.18 ERA)
Daniel Hudson (projected 14 saves, 2.95 ERA)
Major League-ready prospects
Carter Kieboom (SS), Wil Crowe (SP)
Projected Lineup
1) Trea Turner
2) Adam Eaton
3) Juan Soto
4) Howie Kendrick/Starlin Castro
5) Kurt Suzuki
6) Carter Kieboom
7) Eric Thames/Ryan Zimmerman
8) Victor Robles
The Nationals return just about everyone in their everyday lineup, and they added some pieces in top prospect Carter Kieboom, Starlin Castro and Eric Thames. They should be able to produce runs as well as last season, if not then slightly worse production.
Key bench players
Howie Kendrick, Asdrubal Cabrera, Ryan Zimmerman
Should you go Over or Under on Washington's regular-season win total? And what are the top win total plays you can make for 2020? ... Join SportsLine right now to see John Bollman's MLB win total picks, all from the former Blue Jays front-office employee who went 14-1 last year!