2007 Nationals Projected Lineup

2007 Washington Nationals

Batting Order

1. 2B Felipe Lopez
2. SS Cristian Guzman
3. 3B Ryan Zimmerman
4. RF Austin Kearns
5. LF Ryan Church
6. 1B Larry Broadway
7. C Brian Schneider
8. CF Nook Logan

Washington's lineup has a new look in 2007 without Alfonso Soriano leading off or Jose Vidro holding down a regular spot. The pressure will be on new leadoff man Lopez to get on base regularly and take advantage of his blazing speed. The pressure also will be on Zimmerman and Kearns to provide the bulk of the RBIs while Nick Johnson slowly returns from his broken right leg. Broadway, Travis Lee, Robert Fick and Dmitri Young are the candidates to take over at first base. Left field is up for grabs this spring, with Church trying to hold off promising rookie Casto, Chris Snelling and oft-injured Alex Escobar. Center field is Logan's to lose. Given his speed, Logan should ultimately find himself near the top of the lineup, but Acta doesn't want to put too much pressure on him early on.

Rotation

John Patterson
Tim Redding
Jerome Williams/Mike O'Connor/Matt Chico
Shawn Hill/Colby Lewis/Beltran Perez
Jason Simontacchi/Joel Hanrahan/Chris Michalak/Jesus Colome

Clearly the biggest question mark on the roster. Patterson is the only starter guaranteed to win a job, and he made only eight starts in 2006 before undergoing forearm surgery. The four remaining spots in the rotation are up for grabs this spring, with at least 10 pitchers in the running. Out of that group, Redding appears to be the closest thing to a sure thing. The former Houston right-hander is coming off a strong season at Triple-A Charlotte and figures to be the second-best starter in Nationals camp. Of the others in the mix this spring, ex-Giant and Cub Williams, ex-Ranger Lewis and farmhands Chico, Hill and Perez seem to have the best shots at winning jobs.

Closer: Chad Cordero