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17 Mar 2009 |
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The Washington Nationals have one of the most exciting outfields in the Major Leagues. Considering the number of outfielders ex-GM Jim Bowden acquired over the last two years, this is hardly surprising. Every starter spent time on the DL last year, and the depth chart is as deep as can be this year. Here are all the names you need you know:
 Lastings Milledge, center fieldElijah Dukes, right field and center field Adam Dunn, left field (also plays first base) Austin Kearns, right field Josh Willingham, left field (also plays first base) Willie Harris, left field and center field Wily Mo Pena, left field Justin Maxwell, right field In a perfect world, we would see Dunn, Milledge and Dukes as the everyday starters. However, Dukes and Willingham can play first base, Dukes can play centerfield and Kearns--prior to the Adam Dunn signing a few weeks ago--had the largest salary on the team. Willie Harris is an above average fielder and speedster, Wily Mo can slug, and Maxwell is waiting in the wings. So we really are not sure exactly how Nats skipper Manny Acta will play everyone. Let us start our examination by subtraction. Justin Maxwell was just sent down to Minor League camp on Sunday. A local DC-area product, he is a five-tool player who missed much of last year in Double-A with a wrist injury. He is the future and was sent down so that he can continue to get daily at-bats. Look for him to contribute as a starter next year or possibly earlier if some trades are made mid-season, or if injuries occur to Kearns and Dukes. Willie Harris has bounced around through a few organizations (the Orioles, White Sox, Red Sox, Braves and Nationals) since his debut in 2001. He is a speedy utility outfielder with a career .248 batting average. During the last two years in the majors, he has benefitted from injuries to his teammates and has been able to garner around 350 at-bats and 15 stolen bases each year. However, if the starters stay healthy the Nationals don’t expect him to get much playing time. Wily Mo Pena is a true power hitter. He has baffled followers for the last few years, as he seems to produce well when he gets playing time but then falls victim to an injury soon thereafter. Unfortunately, with the talent and dollars spent on the other outfield members he will be relegated to a back up position for this season and might even spend time in the minors. Austin Kearns should be in the prime of his career. The 28 year old has been working on a new batting stance with hitting coach Rick Eckstein, and is looking good this spring. Unfortunately, last year he was hampered by elbow and foot injuries, and put together a miserable .217 batting average in 313 at-bats with only 7 home runs. The $10 million club option on his 2010 contract probably means this is the last year we will see Kearns in Washington. This is especially true considering Dukes is having a hot spring and Maxwell will be getting his reps in the minors. Many sources have been speculating that the Nats would be willing to eat much of Kearns' salary if they can move him sooner rather than later. Josh Willingham was signed early in the offseason to a one-year $2.95 million contract. The good news is Willingham can play left field, first base and even catcher. The bad news is he will be relegated to the back-up role and probably won't gain catcher eligibility in most fantasy leagues. The lifetime .266 hitter has the potential for 20 homers, 80+ RBI, and 5-10 stolen bases but won’t get the at-bats to even come close to those goals. We are now down to our three starters.  Adam Dunn will be the starting left fielder. He may also get some time at first base to give Nick Johnson an occasional day off. Dunn has hit 40 home runs for five years in a row. If you have been watching his performance in the World Baseball Classic this spring, you have witnessed three dingers and a batting average of .571. Nationals management is already trying to make him the face of the franchise for 2009. Many Washington old timers are already comparing him to much-beloved Washington Senator Frank Howard. One of the most important things to Dunn during the offseason was getting a multi-year contract, which is what he got in Washington. He wanted to be somewhere he could call home and not worry about being traded mid-season again. I think he will relish his new role with this team and is in for a banner season. Fantasy-wise his historically lower batting average but high walk rate make him a fantasy baseball conundrum for many. Just know your league categories before selecting him in your drafts. Having Lastings Milledge in center field and Elijah Dukes in right field makes the Nationals outfield exciting. At ages 23 and 24 they both are young and have tremendous potential. In the March 16th edition of the Washington Post, staff writer Chico Harlan summed it up nicely with his quotes from Willie Harris: "I know what those guys are capable of doing," teammate Willie Harris said. "Especially Dukes. I think Dukes, his upside is a lot higher, his ceiling is a lot higher than Milledge's. But for the most part, man, Dukes and Milledge -- those boys are gonna be all-stars."
Last year they both dealt with injuries but finished the season strong. Milledge has the support of Manny Acta and has been working on his defensive skills with coach Marquis Grissom. Many people are comparing Lastings to B.J. Upton in batting stats, yet Upton is going at least five to ten rounds earlier in most fantasy drafts. Milledge is projected to have 25-25 potential. Still at the age of 23, he has plenty of time to prove his naysayers wrong. Dukes has a better power swing and more speed than Milledge, who himself is even predicting Dukes to be a 30-30 guy. The only thing that can hold Elijah back is Elijah. His off-field legal issues and a few small injuries have been his downfall in his few years of big league ball. If he puts it all behind him the sky is the limit. Last year the Nationals outfield was riddled by injuries. This year the key will be to remain injury-free and to stay out of the off-field headlines. If they do that, the Nats have a starting outfield to rival anyone in the game. Oh yeah, and one that every fantasy baseball owner should want to get in on. Trackback(0)
Comments (6)
  written by Tim Hart, March 18, 2009
Great article! I've been a hapless Nats fan since their first game at RFK. Sounds like they may be a frustrating source of consistent fantasy play, but the "real life" games will probably be more interesting than ever!
Now, if Acta could just trade one of these OFs for a SP with an ERA under 5.0....
written by lennymelnick, March 17, 2009
Anyone can be put there, but play there? Dukes played CF 1 game in 08 :cheer: for a reason.Harris is a fill in at best.we are talking starters.
written by Chad Burke, March 17, 2009
As soon as Johnson is on the DL then Dunn will probably be at 1st clearing up a spot to rotate the other OF's.
Lenny, Dukes and Harris can both play CF.
written by lennymelnick, March 17, 2009
Dont forget..Milledge is the only one who can play CF .he is not replaced by anyone,only rested
written by MikePodhorzer, March 17, 2009
I could see this being an extremely frutrating situation for Milledge and Dukes owners. Every time you randomly see one of them benched in favor of a Kearns, Willingham or even Harris, you'll be cursing Manny Acta wondering why he's screwing with your fantasy team!
I try my best to avoid situations I think could make my blood boil, but it's really hard to pass up on Lastings and Elijah given their great potential.
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Tags: outfield Lastings Milledge Elijah Dukes Adam Dunn Austin Kearns Josh Willingham Willie Harris Wily Mo Pena Justin Maxwell Washington Nationals
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I wish the best of luck to the Nats- I've done an interview with Balester and he seemed like a good guy.