John Lannan

John Lannan, Washington Nationals (LHP): Everyone knows that the Nationals are trying to win in the next two years. All eyes are on $15 million man Stephen Strasburg to be the savior. However for the Nationals to succeed, the players who have been with the team need to keep improving. That starts with Lannan, who was the Nationals ace in 2009. The homegrown left-hander was steady despite facing every team’s ace almost every night. At just 25 years old, he went 9-13 with a 3.88 ERA in 206.1 innings. He walked 68 and struck out 89 while hitters hit .266 against him. Pretty good numbers for a young starting pitcher that is often overlooked in the division.

In the offseason the Nationals added some veteran leadership, one in particular that should help take the pressure off of Lannan. That would be Jason Marquis, who was brought in to bring stability to a young, unknown rotation. The 31 year old pitched 216 innings with a 15-13 record and a 4.04 ERA. The first time All-Star’s ERA is a little high but he pitched at Coors Field in Colorado. Now the Nationals have two innings-eaters at the top of the rotation. They also have a new attitude. “…ever since we got Nyjer [Morgan] he definitely added a new element to the clubhouse and Pudge [Rodriguez] has been great and so has Jason [Marquis], so every addition we’ve made has definitely made the clubhouse more enjoyable and there’s definitely a better feeling in the clubhouse,” Lannan said on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight.

The question is who will be the Opening Day starter (Lannan was named Opening Day starter today). Both pitchers understand the honor of taking the ball for the first game. Manager Jim Riggleman’s decision may come down to who he feels comfortable with facing the defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies twice (and Roy Halladay) in the first nine games. “We’re just going to have to try to see who we’re more comfortable with-the combination of the Opening Day situation and facing the same team twice,” Riggleman said. Lannan has yet to beat the Phillies in his career (0-6) and has a high ERA (5.82) against them. Marquis has been average against the Phillies in his career (5-3 with a 4.38 ERA). The only way the Nationals can compete in the NL East is to have solid pitching and it starts with the starting rotation. Lannan will be key.

Jesus Flores

Jesus Flores, Washington Nationals (C): The last two seasons have been disappointing for Flores. In 2008, the Phillies Chase Utley bulldozed him in a collision at the plate, crumpling his ankle. In May of 2009, Flores was hit by a foul tip off his shoulder off the bat of Arizona’s Chris Young, costing him the rest of the season. All of this happening to a young catcher who earned a spot on the Nationals in 2007 after being selected in the Rule V draft. He even beat out veterans Paul LoDuca and Johnny Estrada in 2008 and everything was going well until the freak injuries.

Now the Nationals signed veteran catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez to a two-year deal in December. Flores idolized Pudge when he was growing up in Venezuela and believes he can learn a lot. “…Ivan has been one of my heroes since I started catching,” Flores said. “Now having him as a teammate, that will be very valuable to me…and the knowledge he has about baseball will be very important for anyone. The young pitchers, as well as myself, are going to learn a lot from him.”

Flores’ top priority in spring training is becoming 100 percent healthy because he is rehabbing both his shoulder and elbow. The Nationals have seen flashes of his offensive potential as he hit .301 with four homeruns and 15 RBIs in 29 games in 2009. He is a career .260 hitter but he is still young (just 25) so the numbers should climb.

With Wil Nieves slated to catch along with Pudge, the Nationals will give Flores all the time he needs to get healthy. If he proves healthy, he could make the team out of spring training. If not, he could be activated around the same time rookie Stephen Strasburg makes his debut. Either way, Flores has become mentally stronger through the injuries and look for him to be a force with the Nationals for years to come.