The .300 Hitter: The Nationals' turnaround template

By Adam Cancryn

The Atlanta Braves dominated the NL East for most of the past 20 years. Now the Washington Nationals have built a similar team that it hopes will dominate for the next 20.

Spring Training is a time reserved for boundless hope, and for at least one team in particular, that optimism was a welcome change.

Cellar dwellers for much of the past decade, the team was fresh off a 65-97 campaign that saw its manager fired at midseason and its league-worst attendance numbers sink even lower. This was a forgotten squad, even in its hometown.

Yet for once, there was a positive buzz coming out of camp. The pitching staff boasted two 20-something phenoms, and roaming the outfield was a promising young power hitter. If a few more pieces fell into place, the thinking went, maybe this season could be the start of a turnaround.

The year was 1991. The team was the Atlanta Braves.

What happened that year was less the start of a slow turnaround than a dizzying 180 for the Braves. Led by 25-year-old ace Tom Glavine and center fielder Ron Gant, Atlanta won 94 games and reached the World Series for the first time since 1958. Over the next decade-and-a-half the Braves would add to their core: a third baseman destined to become a city icon, another Hall-of-Fame hurler, and a five-tool sensation who hit two World Series home runs at the tender age of 19. Starting in 1991, the once-woeful organization would win the division 14 of the next 15 years.

More than two decades after the start of that incredible run, another NL East team is hoping to replicate the Braves' success. Like Atlanta, the Washington Nationals are perennial bottom feeders coming off a losing season that saw their manager fired and attendance among the lowest in the league. Like Atlanta, there is hope that this is the year they break that trend. And like Atlanta, the Nats have a mix of young franchise players and open market pickups who could keep them on top for a long time.

The Nationals' first five years in D.C. unfolded much like their previous decades as the Montreal Expos. The team was an odd assortment of veterans playing out the string and middle-tier prospects unlikely to go much of anywhere. Management was of little help, maintaining a payroll in 2010 that was less than half that of the first place Philadelphia Phillies.

Yet in the past couple of years, Washington has developed something resembling a strategy. It opened the checkbook for No. 1 draft picks two years in a row, then landed a big free agent in outfielder Jayson Werth. The Nationals continued to build out productively this offseason, adding pitcher Gio Gonzalez and locking up third baseman Ryan Zimmerman for the next six years. The final product is a team that is finally on its way up.

Just how quickly and how far the Nationals can ascend are questions that rest on the shoulders of its talented, yet untested core. Strasburg and Gonzalez must make it through an entire season without injury, Werth must bounce back from a lackluster 2011 and complimentary players like second baseman Danny Espinoza and closer Drew Storen must continue to make strides.

But if the Braves of the '90s are any indication, Washington could find itself fighting for the division deep into September. In 1991, Atlanta had only a few of its pieces in place; Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones and Greg Maddux would not arrive for years. Yet the Braves took advantage of a weaker-than-normal West Division and turned it into a two-horse race with the Los Angeles Dodgers that they would win by one game.

By contrast, the Nationals have nearly all of their star players ready right now. Strasburg could contend for the Cy Young this year, and Gonzalez-- who won 16 games for an inept Oakland team-- might not be far behind. Zimmerman, Werth and outfielder Michael Morse form a power trio in the middle of the lineup, and should Washington find itself in a close race down the stretch, there is no doubt wunderkind Bryce Harper (19 years old, just like Andruw Jones in his late-season debut) will be on hand to provide an extra push.

For Washington, just like Atlanta those 21 years ago, this feels like the turning point. There will be plenty of time to see whether that comes true, but for now, during Spring Training, all they can do is hope.


The Week Ahead (all times EST)- Your guide to what to watch-- and what to watch for-- this coming week

College Basketball
Maryland at North Carolina- Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Georgetown at Marquette- March 3 at 2 p.m. (ESPN3)
Louisville at Syracuse- March 3 at 4 p.m. (CBS)
Kentucky at Florida- March 4 at noon (CBS)
Ohio St. at Michigan St.- March 4 at 4 p.m. (BTN)
NBA

Thunder at 76ers- Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. (FSOKHD/COMCAST)
Bulls at Spurs- Feb. 29 at 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Heat at Blazers- March 1 at 10:30 p.m. (TNT)
Clippers at Suns- March 2 at 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Knicks at Celtics- March 4 at 1 p.m. (ABC)
NHL
Devils at Rangers- Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
Blues at Flames- Feb. 27 at 9 p.m. (TSN)
Rangers at Lightning- March 2 at 7:30 p.m. (NHLNET)
Bruins at Rangers- March 4 at 12:30 p.m. (NBC)
Blackhawks at Red Wings- March 4 at 4 p.m. (NHLNET)
Golf
The Honda Classic- March 1-March 4 (NBC/TGC)


In the Kitchen- Tracking the major hot stove stories

• Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin ran a blazing 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, cementing his status as a top 2 NFL draft pick. FOX Sports' Jay Glazer predicted on Twitter that the St. Louis Rams will end up trading down with the team willing to give up the most for a shot at RGIII.
• Andrew Luck, meanwhile, proved he's no slouch either. The Stanford quarterback and consensus top NFL draft pick ran a 4.59 40, equaling the time that Cam Newton put up last year. 
• Los Angeles Angels outfielder Torii Hunter wants to play two to three years more after his contract expires this season, a reversal from last fall when he said he planned to retire. If Los Angeles doesn't resign him, the 36-year-old Hunter said he'd be open to playing somewhere else.
• Minnesota Twins reliever Joel Zumaya is injured once again, this time suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament. He must now decide whether to undergo Tommy John surgery. Zumaya hasn't pitched since 2010, and once famously injured himself while playing Guitar Hero. 

Web Gems- The week's best, worst or strangest Internet sports finds

For 41 years, town cheers Danny's boys- The New York Times' Greg Bishop on NAIA Division II powerhouse Oregon Institute of Technology and their beloved coach, Danny Miles.

The deep seams- Skateboarding through David Foster Wallace's Peoria.

Jeremy Lin has helped me through some pretty tough times- Jesse Eisenberg's hilarious account of all the times that Jeremy Lin came to his aid.

Saviormetrics- How Moneyball revived Brandon McCarthy's career.

Just a couple of the bad spring training pictures taken by beat writers and catalogued by Bad Spring Training TwitPics.

Coming Up- What's next at Began in '96

• Tuesday: Adam Cancryn on Yeardley Love's murder and the George Huguely trial.
• Wednesday: A tribute to Mariano Rivera and his understated brilliance, by James Epstein.
• Thursday: Jason Bacaj on the Washington Redskins' offseason, featuring an interview with defensive end Adam Carriker.
• Friday: A Spring Training preview of all 30 MLB teams, one sentence at a time, by Adam Cancryn.