$Predicting Washington Nationals\' 2016 Opening Day Lineup$

Predicting Washington Nationals' 2016 Opening Day Lineup

By Bryan Zarpentine

There’s a transition of sorts involving the Washington Nationals heading into the 2016 season with the additions of Daniel Murphy and Ben Revere over the offseason, as well as young players like Trea Turner and Michael Taylor hoping to carve out roles. With a number of moving parts and position battles taking place this spring, here is what the Nationals’ opening day lineup may look like in 2016.

$Predicting Washington Nationals\' 2016 Opening Day Lineup$

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Ben Revere, Center Field — The Nationals are hoping that the offseason trade for Revere will pay off in both center field and the leadoff spot. Revere is coming off the best season of his career and played a key role during Toronto's playoff run last year. The Nationals are hoping he can continue that in 2016; otherwise, Michael Taylor could push him for playing time in center field.

Anthony Rendon, Third Base — Rendon's lackluster and injury-plagued 2015 season played a role in Washington's disappointing season, so the Nationals are hoping he can bounce back in 2016. He had a great season in 2014, and the Nationals are expecting him to return to the form he had that year. That would help make him a great No. 2 hitter for them this season.

Bryce Harper, Right Field — The Nationals are not at all worried about Bryce Harper, who has a chance to repeat as National League MVP. Obviously, Washington needs to get more help around him, but Harper should be a reliable and productive player in the No. 3 spot in the lineup.

Ryan Zimmerman, First Base — Zimmerman's availability and productivity have both declined the past two seasons, but he's still making big bucks so the Nationals still need him hitting in the cleanup spot. He may not be an All-Star caliber player anymore, but when he's healthy Zimmerman can still make an impact.

Daniel Murphy, Second Base — The Nationals signed Murphy to give them a larger left-handed presence in their lineup, and they're going to need him to be a run producer in the middle of the order. Washington shouldn't expect Murphy to show the kind of power he did in the postseason last year, but he should provide plenty of doubles and RBIs from the No. 5 spot in the lineup.

Jayson Werth, Left Field — Werth missed much of 2015 due to injury, and when he was on the field, he wasn't that good. The Nationals hope that being able to hit him further down in the order will help, but if last year proves to be a sign of things to come, they may need Taylor to take at-bats away from Werth. For now, the aging veteran will get a chance to redeem himself.

Danny Espinosa, Shortstop — Trea Turner appears to be the shortstop of the future in Washington, but he's still just 22 and has so little experience in the upper levels of the minors that the Nationals would be wise to send him to Triple-A to start the season. That means the shortstop job belongs to Espinosa on opening day, although he put up respectable numbers last season.

Wilson Ramos, Catcher — Catcher was a weakness of the Nationals last season, and since they failed to upgrade the position over the winter, Ramos will be the opening day starter after posting a .229/.258/.358 line last year. A repeat of that production in the No. 8 spot won't be the worst thing in the world, but the Nationals may need more offense from their starting catcher this year.

Max Scherzer, Pitcher — Washington's rotation does not look quite as formidable as in recent years, but they still have Scherzer as their ace. He posted a career-low ERA in 2015 and shows no signs of dropping off, meaning the Nationals should be able to count on Scherzer to lead their rotation in 2016.

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