The Nationals have released their Wild Card roster, and it’s a fun one. Anticipating a deluge of Brewers relievers — and long innings from their top starters — the Nats have loaded up on bench players at the expense of pitching volume.
Here’s the 25-man unit that will be available this evening to manager Dave Martinez:
Right-Handed Pitchers
- Max Scherzer (probable starter)
- Stephen Strasburg
- Anibal Sanchez
- Daniel Hudson
- Fernando Rodney
- Hunter Strickland
- Tanner Rainey
Left-Handed Pitchers
Infielders
Outfielders
Catchers
It has long been supposed that the Nats would stake their season on their trio of high-end starters, and this roster is a bold affirmation of that decision. The club will ride Scherzer as long as he’s his typically dominant self before making its next move. Whether that’ll mean handing off to Strasburg and then Corbin, or vice versa, with or without a reliever interspersed … that all remains to be seen.
By foregoing additional hurlers, the Nationals will not have as many chances to gain situational advantage when they are in the field. They’ll instead trust their best pitchers to get outs no matter the handedness of the opposing batter. That’s a reflection both of the core trio of excellent starters — Scherzer, Strasburg, and Corbin — and the Nats’ season-long struggles in the relief unit. Doolittle was long the team’s lone reliable hand but ran into late health issues. Hudson has been good since coming over via trade but doesn’t exactly carry dominating peripherals. Martinez will do everything he can to avoid deploying any pitcher other than those five in a high-leverage spot.
It’s a bit of a surprise not to see Wander Suero on this roster. He threw a lot of mostly solid innings this season and has shown the ability to retire both left and right-handed hitters. Perhaps the club only anticipates utilizing Rodney, Strickland, and Rainey if specific match-up situations arise and simply did not see a way that Suero would get in the game.
There’s perhaps some possibility of the Nats being hung out to dry in the pitching department, though that’s not terribly likely and Sanchez provides a ready backstop. The team obviously felt it preferable to ensure that it doesn’t have such an issue arise on the position-player side. With the Brewers expected to run out a dizzying array of arms over the course of the contest, the Nationals have chosen to carry an overstuffed bench. That’ll create opportunities for countering the Milwaukee pitching match-ups and liberally deploying pinch hitters, pinch runners, and/or defensive replacements.
Very interesting. It makes sense, cuz the brewers may go inning by inning and may not use a started.
Missing Rendon with infielders. Unless the Nationals are going crazy on us.
Never mind it’s fixed now.
lol
scheduled day off
Lol
Yeah that was a slight oversight. Fortunately for the Nats it was by me, in this post, and not by them, in their formal roster submission!
Thought they were playing hardball to make him accept their offer.
Lol
Where’s Anthony Rendon?
This is the smart way to build the wild card roster, especially for a team with a weak bullpen.
However
Suero>>>>>>Strickland
Why not take one more reliever over a 3rd catcher just to be safe? I have no problem stacking up INFs and OFs because I see that logic.
Suzuki has been banged up, so that could be a factor. Also, possible they can now consider an in-game pinch hitting move (by or for one of the catchers) they wouldn’t otherwise.
Good point. I guess squeezing a 2nd pinch hit at bat might be more valuable than that reliever.
More importantly, they can pinch run for a catcher with Michael A Taylor. hes definitely not there to hit. He is there to run.
Wander Suero just didn’t have enough sabermetrics to make it on the roster. I don’t know which ones, but I think Rodney had just enough of them.
I know you’re being satirical, but Suero’s sabermetrics actually suggest he should be the one on the team. Over at least two or three other pitchers lol.
L
Considering the nats bullpen has been a dumpster fire all year. They were leading baseball in highest era for a long time as well.
Big deal. Back in the 70s and early 80s many teams regularly carried only 10 pitchers all season. 5 starters and 5 relievers and 14/15 position players.
And, of course, the games is played now EXACTLY as it was 50 years ago… You know, with all the single game play-ins they had then…
if you told me Tanner Rainey would be on a postseason roster when this season opened, id have thought you were on something. explains why they only have 5 relievers if their 5th is Rainey.
He misses bats.
Rodney/Rainey over Suero is a head scratcher. The overall strategy makes sense though.
I really want to see the Astros vs the Nationals in the World Series.
Verlander, Cole, Greinke vs Scherzer, Strasburg, Corbin would be amazing!
Fernando Rodney? Why would they carry a blowout pitcher for an elimination game? Consider:
6.39 ERA in 14 career playoff games
.370 AVG/.452 OBP/.648 SLG/1.100 OPS batting line in high leverage situations this season (62 PA)
Makes a lot of since. You have to try and mitigate the worst part of your team when they are THAT bad.
Strickland was bad in Seattle and that didnt change in Washington. His peripherals are saying he really is as bad as he seems.
I have to think there is a reason though. Is it a match up or maybe a split?
As disastrous as Strickland has been he’s been a nightmare to right handed bats. The slash against him is .164/.233/.236. Wander has a much more balanced split but maybe left handed bats are sufficiently covered. I’ll let someone else look into that. =)
Raudy Reed being on the roster makes the catcher not starting available as a pinch hitter.
Austin Voth over Hunter Strickland.
Surprised they have any relievers. Scherzer goes 6, Strasburg 3, Anibal for extras
If they win
Corbin opens Game 1 Thursday
Strasburg comes back on 3 days rest pitching only 3 innings for Game 2
Scherzer Game 3
I wouldn’t even touch my bullpen in an elimination game if I was them unless they’re up 8 runs by the time Scherzer exits.