The Nationals finished 80-81 in 2011, which was good for 3rd place in the A.L. East, 21.5 games behind the Phillies. With that being said, there were a lot of positive signs for the Nationals as the 2011 went along. Here is a look at what really stood out to me in 2011:

TEAM MVP: 29-year old righty swinging OF/1B Mike Morse finally got a chance to show what he could do if he got to play every day. Morse played in 146 games for the Nationals in 2011 and he was 158 for 522 (.303 avg, .910 OPS) with 73 runs scored, 31 homers, 95 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. The Nationals have another building block for the offense to go along with Ryan Zimmerman.

BEST PITCHER: 26-year old righty reliever Tyler Clippard was by far the best pitcher on the Nationals in 2011. He pitched in 72 games (0 starts) for the Nationals last year and he was 3-0 with a 1.83 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP. Clippard only gave up 48 hits and 26 walks in 88 1/3 innings while whiffing 104 batters and that is downright impressive.

PLEASANT SURPRISE: 25-year old righty starting pitcher Jordan Zimmerman came back from major surgery to pitch his best baseball to date in 2011. He pitched in 26 games (all starts) for the Nationals last year and he was 8-11 with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. He only gave up 154 hits in 161 1/3 innings this year while whiffing 124 batters and only walking 31, as he was impressive.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: The Nationals signed 32-year old righty swinging RF Jayson Werth to a HUGE contract last winter. He rewarded them by playing in 150 games in which he was 130 for 561 (.232 avg, .718 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 20 homers, 58 RBIs and 19 stolen bases while whiffing 160 times! The Nationals better hope he starts putting up better numbers in 2012.