clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Washington Nationals 2013 Roundtable via The District Sports Page - Part 4 - What concerns you the most?

The District Sports Page's Dave Nichols organized a virtual roundtable discussion about the 2013 Washington Nationals, inviting writers covering the team to discuss the pressing issues facing the defending NL East Champions as Opening Day approaches. Pt. 4: What concerns you the most?

By Patrick Reddington
Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Does Danny Espinosa's shoulder have you concerned? Are you worried about Drew Storen recovering from his Game 5 experience last October? Will Ryan Zimmerman return from offseason shoulder surgery and hit like he did after he got that cortisone shot last season? Can Bryce Harper avoid the so-called sophomore slump and thrive in the three-hole? Can the Nationals' starters stay healthy again? Can the Nats repeat as the NL East champs and take another step next October? What worries you the most when you think about the 2013 Nationals? That's the fourth questions writers covering the Nats were asked as part of the virtual roundtable discussion the District Sports Page's Dave Nichols organized.

The District Sports Page's Dave Nichols organized this roundtable discussion with local writers covering the Nationals, inviting us all to discuss issues facing the defending NL East Champs heading into the 2013 campaign. Here are the people who participated:

  • Dave Nichols - Editor-in-Chief, District Sports Page
  • Alyssa Wolice - Staff Writer, District Sports Page
  • Ted Starkey - Contributor to DSP, author and Editor at SBNation.com
  • Ryan Kelley - DSP Prospects Writer and founder of BaseballNewshound.com
  • Tom Bridge - Editor, We Love D.C.
  • Joe Drugan - Managing Editor, The Nats Blog

If you're on the Twitter and aren't already following the folks listed above, you should be. Dave Nichols' Nationals coverage can be found at @NationalsDSP. The DSP's Alyssa Wolice is at @AWolice. The DSP and SB Nation's Ted Starkey can be located at @TedStarkey. Ryan Kelley can be found at @BBNewsHound. Tom Bridge and We Love DC's sports coverage can be found @WeLoveDCSports. And Joe Drugan posts on Twitter at @TheNatsBlogJoe.

So what is our biggest concern about the 2013 Washington Nationals?:

FBb: "The starting depth. I’m not too concerned about the lack of a LOOGY, but would probably have preferred that they added another lefty. The starting depth does have me concerned though. It seems like the Nationals are putting a lot of faith in some of their top pitching prospects developing quickly. Davey Johnson said recently that he’s comfortable with Yunesky Maya, Ross Ohlendorf and maybe Chris Young if he stays (though I hesitate to even mention him because I fear he might opt out of D.C. before this even gets posted). I’m not sure you’d find too many people who follow the Nationals who would say that they are comfortable with those options.

"Behind them, however, it’s all prospects like Nathan Karns, Sammy Solis and Matt Purke (both of whom are coming off injuries). The Nationals have acknowledged that starting depth is still a concern because they were really fortunate that their starters were as healthy as they were last season. You can’t expect that every year, and the backup options for a team that expects to contend are not all that impressive.

"They do, however, have some depth at other positions that could be helpful if they feel they need to trade for pitching at some point this season, so there’s that. If there’s one big concern it’s the starting depth, with the left-hander in the pen second on my list of concerns and the overall health of the team third."

• Read the rest of the writers' responses through the link below, and thanks to the District Sports Page's Mr. Nichols for organizing the discussion:

More From Federal Baseball