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Nats 2014
A TWO-TEAM RACE
The NL East title race will likely come down to the Nats and the Braves. The past two division champs are loaded with young, talented players with postseason experience. Washington is looking to regain its form from 2012, when it posted the best record in baseball. Atlanta is out to make the playoffs for a third consecutive year. Each opens the 2014 season Monday. So, who’s got the edge? JEFFREY TOMIK (E XPRESS)
FIRST BASE
SECOND BASE
THIRD BASE
SHORTSTOP
LEFT FIELD
CENTER FIELD
RIGHT FIELD
Adam LaRoche The 34-year-old hit just .237 with 20 homers and 62 RBIs in 152 games last year. The slugger might get benched when the Nats face a tough lefty starter; he hit .198 vs. southpaws in 2013.
Anthony Rendon Washington has a couple options at second. Rendon is the more consistent hitter, but Danny Espinosa has altered his approach at the plate and could steal some time because of his defense.
Ryan Zimmerman He’s been able to play through shoulder problems, but it may limit his ceiling. Despite the injury, he hit .275 with 26 homers and 79 RBIs in 2013. He’ll also likely spend a little time at first base.
Ian Desmond Among shortstops, he ranked in the top five in runs, home runs, RBIs and batting average in 2013. Defensively, though, he ranked 17th out of 20 in fielding percentage.
Bryce Harper He’s just 21, but expectations will be high for Harper in his third big league season. Last year, he missed 44 games and had a modest 20 homers and 58 RBIs. The Nats need more from the slugger.
Denard Span Span’s splits tell the story of his 2013 season; he hit .263 before the All-Star break and .302 after. He had 20 stolen bases and could run more with aggressive new manager Matt Williams.
Jayson Werth The highly paid 34-yearold is coming off his best season in Washington. He ranked fifth in the NL in both batting average (.318) and on-base percentage (.398) and led the team in RBIs (82).
Freddie Freeman To get an idea of how important the 24-yearold is to Atlanta’s lineup, the Braves gave Freeman an eight-year, $135 million deal in the offseason. He’s one of the most patient hitters in the majors.
Dan Uggla The 34-year-old has never had a great batting average, but he hit a career-worst .179 last year. Another poor start and Uggla could lose his job to prospect Tommy La Stella.
Chris Johnson It’s still weird to not see Chipper Jones here. Johnson has filled in nicely, though. He was second in the NL in batting in 2013 and could be the Braves’ cleanup hitter this season.
Andrelton Simmons At 24, he still has room to develop as a hitter, but there’s not a better defensive shortstop. According to baseball -reference.com, Simmons’ defensive WAR (5.4) was higher than Desmond’s total WAR (3.6) in 2013.
Justin Upton Like Harper, Upton was a former No. 1 pick who came up to the big leagues as a teenager. Upton’s 26 now, and his ceiling has lowered — though he’s still a solid power hitter (27 homers, 70 RBIs in 2013).
B.J. Upton There wasn’t much Upton did well at the plate last year in his first season in Atlanta. He had a career-worst .184 batting average and .289 slugging percentage. He also finished 10th in the majors with 161 strikeouts.
Jason Heyward The 24-year-old missed 58 games in 2013 and his power numbers declined (14 home runs, 38 RBIs). He’ll also need to improve on his .254 average, but the 2012 Gold Glove winner always brings his defense.
Who’s got the edge?
Who’s got the edge?
Who’s got the edge?
Who’s got the edge?
Who’s got the edge?
Who’s got the edge?
Who’s got the edge?