Nationals Manager Jim Riggleman told the media yesterday that Jayson Werth will begin the regular season as the number two hitter in front of Ryan Zimmerman.
This won’t be a new endeavor for Werth, who was batted second before with the Phillies and Dodgers.
One of the biggest problems with the Nationals offense last season came at the top of the order. The combination of Nyjer Morgan (who’s no longer starting) and Willie Harris / Adam Kennedy was one of the worst in Major League Baseball.
With Ian Desmond leading off and Werth following, Jim Riggleman and Mike Rizzo hope to generate a lot more base runners for Zimmerman, LaRoche, and Michael Morse.
This time last year, we’d expect to see Nyjer Morgan leading off, but it appears Riggleman and company finally got tired of his terrible on-base percentage and irresponsible base running.
Rick Ankiel will take over center field duties, but will not lead off. Riggleman will rely on Ankiel’s power and use him later in the lineup.
So unless something changes, here is your opening day starting lineup for your Washington Nationals:
1. Ian Desmond, SS
2. Jayson Werth, RF
3. Ryan Zimmerman, 3B
4. Adam LaRoche, 1B
5. Michael Morse, LF
6. Rick Ankiel, CF
7. Danny Espinosa, 2B
8. Ivan Rodriguez, C
9. Livan Hernandez, SP
Not too shabby. Now, if only we could get our pitching to step up. Riggleman hasn’t released the rotation yet, but this would be an educated guess:
1. Livan Hernandez
2. Jordan Zimmermann
3. Jason Marquis
4. Tom Gorzelanny
5. John Lannan
What do you guys think?
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