The Nationals might be a little bit better than most people think. Playing in front of a full house every night will likely pump the team up. I like the bullpen that the Nationals have as I consider it one of the best in the National League. If the young starting rotation gets leads to the bullpen the Nationals will win a lot of games. Make a small bet on the over.

28-year old righty swinging Austin Kearns might like hitting in the new stadium that the Nationals are playing in this season. He played in 161 games for the Nationals this season and he was 156 for 587 (.266 avg, .766 OPS) with 84 runs scored, 16 homers and 74 RBIs. He showed above average range in 158 games in RF last season while only making 2 errors.

29-year old righty swinging Jason Dubois will also have a chance at some point this season for the Nationals. He hasn’t played in the majors since the 2005 season with the Indians & Cubs. He has now played in 86 games in his major league career and he is 49 for 210 (.233 avg, .729 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 10 homers and 29 RBIs. He also has whiffed 81 times in his career which is way too much.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B

23-year old righty swinging Lastings Milledge will be the starting CF for the Nationals this season. He played in 59 games for the Mets in 2007 and he was 50 for 184 (.272 avg, .787 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 7 homers, 29 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Milledge played in 14 games in CF for the Mets last season and he made 1 error while showing outstanding range. Look for Milledge to be the impact player the Mets projected him to be in 2008 for the Nationals.

28-year old lefty swinging Ryan Langerhans has a good chance to win the backup job in CF because of his defense. He played in 40 games there last season and he made 2 errors while flashing outstanding range. He played in 125 games last season for the Braves, A’s and Nationals and he was 35 for 210 (.167 avg, .577 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 6 homers and 23 RBIs.

28-year old switch hitting Tommy Murphy will also get a shot to win a job with the Nationals at some point this season. He played in 20 games for the Angels last season and he was 7 for 38 (.184 avg, .416 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B

26-year old righty swinging Wily Mo Pena was going to get his big chance in 2008 for the Nationals but he will miss at least the first month of the season due to injury. He played in 110 games for the Red Sox & Nationals last season and he was 73 for 289 (.253 avg, .758 OPS) with 42 runs scored, 13 homers and 39 RBIs. He also whiffed an amazing 94 times last season and that’s why he won’t ever likely hit for a good batting average. He played in 55 error-free games in LF last season but he showed awful range there.

24-year old righty swinging Elijah Dukes will likely start in LF until Pena is ready to return. He played in 52 games for the Devil Rays last season and he was 35 for 184 (.190 avg, .709 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 10 homers and 21 RBIs. Dukes played in 38 games in CF last season for the Devil Rays and he didn’t make any errors but showed poor range. The Nationals stole Dukes from the Rays if they can just get him to behave.

32-year old lefty swinging Rob Mackowiak played in 113 games for the White Sox & Padres last season and he was 77 for 293 (.263 avg, .723 OPS) with 40 runs scored, 6 homers and 38 RBIs. He played in 65 games in LF last season and he made 3 errors while showing average range.

30-year old lefty swinging Willie Harris played in 117 games last season for the Braves and he was 93 for 344 (.270 avg, .741 OPS) with 56 runs scored, 2 homers, 32 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. Harris played in 85 games in LF for the Braves last season and he made 3 errors while showing above average range.

26-year old lefty swinging Kory Casto played in 16 games for the Nationals last season and he was 7 for 54 (.130 avg, .325 OPS) with 1 run scored and 3 RBIs. He used to be a highly thought of prospect in the Nationals’ farm system but he’s starting to lose his status.

24-year old righty swinging Justin Maxwell is starting to make his mark in the Nationals’ farm system. He played in 15 games for the Nationals last season and he was 7 for 26 (.269 avg, .796 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 2 homers and 5 RBIs. Maxwell played in 114 games in A-ball last season and he was 123 for 437 (.281 avg) with 86 runs scored, 27 homers, 83 RBIs and 35 stolen bases.

Ryan Langerhans might also get some P.T. in LF as he didn’t make any errors in 66 games there last season but he showed below average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: C-

23-year old righty swinging Ryan Zimmerman is the player the Nationals want to build around. The 3B played in 162 games last season for the Nationals and he was 174 for 653 (.266 avg, .788 OPS) with 99 runs scored, 24 homers and 91 RBIs. Zimmerman made 23 errors in 161 games at 3B but he showed amazing range. Look for Zimmerman to hit a lot better in the new stadium the Nationals are playing in this season.

35-year old righty swinging Aaron Boone played in 54 games for the Marlins last season before an injury ended his season. Boone was 48 for 189 (.254 avg, .720 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 6 homers and 31 RBIs. Boone played 12 error-free games at 3B last season but he showed poor range.

32-year old lefty swinging Rob Mackowiak is trying to make the Nationals and he is very versatile in the field as he can handle 2B, 3B and the outfield defensively. He played in 113 games last season for the White Sox & Padres and he was 77 for 293 (.263 avg, .723 OPS) with 40 runs scored, 6 homers and 38 RBIs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: A