Quote:
VIERA, Fla. -- The Nationals had 36 healthy pitchers in camp, and they were looking for four starters to follow right-hander John Patterson in the rotation. It appeared it would be a tough task, as there wasn't much experience among the candidates. Turns out, though, it wasn't that hard to find.
Matt Chico and Shawn Hill established themselves early in the camp and won spots in the rotation. Right-hander Jerome Williams won a spot, beating out several candidates including Tim Redding and Joel Hanrahan, while Levale Speigner will be the swingman of the staff. Jason Bergmann most likely will be the fifth man in rotation.
"It's seems that the group of guys that have been put on the staff seem to be very competitive. That's really good," Patterson said. "They aren't scared to go out there and compete every day."
But there are two concerns regarding this starting staff, and they could come back to haunt the Nationals down the road. The biggest question is health. Patterson and Hill have proven they are talented pitchers but they have had serious health issues in the past. The team received the news that Jason Simontacchi will miss the start of the season because of a tight right groin. He could be out two to three weeks.
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The Official Site of The Washington Nationals: News: Washington Nationals News
Well, after Spring Training and seeing what some of these guys can do theres a few im excited about and a few im not so excited about.
Excluding Patterson out of this bunch i think that Chico, Hill, and Williams will have the best year and the others may not make it through the year as starting pitchers. I think Chico can be about league average ,or maybe slightly worse, but not too bad. And if Williams can recapture what made him a top prospect for the Giants and Cubs over the past few years he could do very, very well.
Nats rotation finally set
Nats rotation finally set
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