With all the injuries the Nationals faced in 2008, their infield was a rotating door at all but one position: shortstop. Cristian Guzman had his best year as a National, hitting .316 with 9 home runs and 55 RBIs. He was a model for consistently, hitting .290 or above in every month except for July, in which he hit .250.Guzman will be the Nationals' 2009 opening day shortstop and should have another solid year. He won't be batting leadoff (Milledge will for the beginning of the season), but will slide to the 2-hole instead. That shouldn't matter much for Guzman, because he hit .311 from there in 2008. He's been a good hitter ever since his laser-eye correction surgery after the 2005 season.
Next to Guzman will be the face of the franchise, Ryan Zimmerman, at third base. Zimmerman was injured for a solid portion of 2008 and only played in 106 games, down from all 162 in 2007. He came on strong at the end and finished with a .283/14/51 line. His defense is still spectacular and should continue to improve, but he needs to work on his discipline and needs to hit for more power. This year, he has support around him, mostly in the form of Adam Dunn, who will give him some protection. Zimmerman should see more pitches to hit but also needs to remember to be patient, because he has a legitimate power threat behind him who can drive him in with one swing. I look for a .285/25/95 kind of season from him, and possibly a gold glove.
At second base, Anderson Hernandez was slated to be the starter before his hamstring injury. It's unsure if he'll be ready for opening day, but regardless, he's the second basemen the team will be counting on for the future. The team traded reliever Luis Ayala for him last season, and Hernandez took full advantage: he hit .333 with 17 RBIs and a 10/8 K/BB ratio in 28 games. He's never had a chance to break the Mets' lineup but now has his chance in Washington. His defense is way above average, and I think he can have a real good year and cement himself as the team's starting second basemen. Behind him is Ronnie Belliard, who had a solid year as a spot starter all over the infield. Belliard's a good bench player because of his power and versatility. If Hernandez cannot go on April 6th, I expect Belliard to start in his place. Willie Harris could also start, so he's a possiblity as well.
First base is the most interesting position on the infield. The oft-injured Nick Johnson will be the opening-day starter, and will be a big boost to the lineup. He has a wonderful batting eye and will draw walks like a fiend. The problem is that he's always injured. I expect him to miss significant time again, which would mean Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham would split time in left field and first base. Neither can match Johnson's defense, especially Dunn. If Johnson can stay healthy, though, they could swing him for a solid prospect at the deadline (if they are out of contention).
Behind the plate will be young Jesus Flores. He was inconsistent last season and got worse as the year went on. He started off fantastic, but struggled and failed to draw many walks to go along with a high strikeout rate. He's still young and has potential, but his ceiling is getting lower and lower with each stretch of batting problems. Luckily his defense is good and pitchers love working with him. I think he'll be pretty good this year, possibly something like .260/15/80. But if he struggles, the Nationals may have to look to prospects Luke Montz and Adrian Nieto as other possible long-term catchers.
On Wednesday I'll go over the bullpen for the Nationals, and on Thursday I'll talk about the rotation. Those two will be the team's weakness. Sunday I will predict a record for the team and division finish. Stay tuned!
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