[jaykno14]

Vidro will be the second baseman this year for the Nationals

Nationals Position Players

At catcher we have Brian Schneider who has been an Expo/National catcher since 2000. Schneider is in the top five of defensive catchers in the league with a phnenomonal arm and above average range. Hitting wise, he is average to below average with no speed.

At first base we have Nick Johnson is still young at 26. Johnson broke out in the majors in 2001 with the Yankees. He was brought to Montreal at the beginning of the 2004 season. Johson has an excellent eye and will usually be in the .400+ on base percentage range. He also will hit about 25 home runs a year with 90+ RBI's. He is an above average first baseman defensively.

At second base is one of the top second baseman in the league, Jose Vidro. Vidro has exceptional contact hitting with average power and an average eye. The last five out of six years (2004 being the exception), Vidro has hit over .300. In 2000 Vidro had a career year with 24 home runs with 97 RBI and a .330 batting average. He has played with Montreal/Washington since 1997 and is 30 years old. His current contract runs through 2008 worth $7 million a year.

Third base provides Vinny Castilla, who was signed to a $3.1 millon for two years after hitting 35 home runs with 131 RBI's and a .271 average. Except it was in Colorado. Still that doesn't take away what a phenomonal year it was for Castilla. Castilla has excellent home run ratings and above average contact ratings. He plays exceptional third base defense and is probably an early canidate for Gold Glove, which is a long shot with Scott Rolen in the same league as him.

We are weaker hitting wise at short stop with Cristian Guzman, who was once a top tier Minnesota prospect. Guzman plays gold glove short stop year in, year out, but has hit above .280 only once in his seven year career (2001). Guzman will be at the bottom of the lineup most of the season but if he heats up he could possibly be inserted at the second spot.

Left Fielder Brad Wilkerson hasn't really exploded the way he can yet, and I am hoping that this is the year he does so. Last year he was able to hit 32 home runs but he only hit .255 and had a mediocre 67 RBI's. He has above average contact, power, and eye across the board and has potential to become an excellent all around hitter. The 28 year old is exceptional at all the outfield positions and first base on the defensive side and if he wasn't a starter he would make a great bench player.

Center Fielder Termell Sledge was orginally a left fielder but his offensive ability made me put him in center field. Sledge has the potential to be a 20+ base stealer and could hit 40+ doubles at some point in his career. He also has a phenomonal eye and will have a .400+ on base percentage more than once in his career. Defensively, he can play every out field position and he has excellent range and a below average arm in the outfield. This year, I expect Sledge to hit .280 with 15-20 home runs and 60-70 RBI.

Right Fielder Jose Guillen made an explosion in Anaheim, but Jim Bowden decided to throw $3.5 million at him and it could be one of the biggest steals in the off season. He has potential to hit 25-30 homers in a year with 100+ RBI. He has an amazing arm out in right field and can cover tons of ground making him one of the best fielders at his position.

Down on the Farm

Our best hitting prospect in the minors is Larry Broadway, a 24 year old first baseman at AAA. He has potential to hit 35-40 home runs in his career with 115+ RBI. He will also hit .280 as a hitter. Fielding wise he is average all around and won't dazzle you with his glove but is serviceable. Expect Johnson to possibly be traded this July for the sake of giving him a position for the second half.

Our next hitting prospect is another first baseman, this time Josh Whitesell, who is 22. Whitesell is better all around and will probably hit better for average with 5-10 less home runs than Broadway. This guy could be traded away for help if we are in contention in July or he will be traded away next offseason. I have not decided what to do with him yet.

Brendan Harris is our best second base prospect and probably won't make it with the Nationals at the major league level as a second baseman. He will most likely be our future third baseman. He is comparable to Vidro in a much smaller way and has potential to hit way better than .300 but will only hit 15-20 homers a year. He is an above average fielder at third base and a below average fielder at second.

Kory Casto is our third base prospect and it will be between him and Harris for me to decide who will be the future third baseman of the club. Casto can hit 35+ doubles a year and will hit .300 with 20 home runs. That would probably be his peak anyway. Fielding wise he can play all out field positions and third base. That gives me the option to move him to the outfield if I want to keep him and Harris.

Our final hitting prospect is Ian Desmond, a 19 year old at A. He is a SS that will possibly hit .280 and steal 30+ bases a season. He is a future lead off hitter. He also has great range as a short stop and will be in the top ten defensively every year.