Following a hundred-loss season, the Washington Nationals are looking to make strides as their prized number-one draft pick starts his career as the team’s savior.

Offense

After his 2008 season was cut short due to injury, Ryan Zimmerman returned to the field in blistering fashion, becoming both the spark and leader of the Nationals’ offense. Zimmerman hit 33 home runs and drove in 106 RBIs last season, while maintaining a .292 average.

Zimmerman has a natural ability to get the bat on the ball, and will continue to develop this season (he is only 25). Look for him to be one of the few bright spots in the Nationals’ lineup.

Now in his ninth season in the majors, we know what we are going to get from Adam Dunn. He will hit 40 or so homeruns with 100 RBIs, with a mediocre average. In his second season in Washington he should pair nicely with Zimmerman to make the first fearsome due in Nationals history.

Last season, Dunn actually hit the highest average of his career (.267). It is unlikely that he will maintain a.250-plus average; but if he can, it will raise his game to a whole new level.

Josh Willingham represents the third most fearsome bat in the Nationals’ lineup. He hit 24 home runs last season, while driving in 61 RBIs without any run support. But at 31 years old, Willingham can only improve so much, so do not expect any more this season then he delivered last summer.

Ivan Rodriguez is looking to prove that he can still be a starting catcher in his 19th season in the majors, while Adam Kennedy is looking to extend his career at second base. Ian Desmond will start at short, while Nyjer Morgan and Willie Harris will start in the outfield with Dunn.

Pitching

Unfortunately for the Nationals, their best pitcher is still throwing in the minor leagues. Stephen Strasburg, the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, is the key to the Nationals’ future.

A teammate has been quoted saying that he has never seen a ball leave a pitcher’s hand with as much force as it does out of Strasburg’s, which has to be quite encouraging for the Nationals. Look for him to make his major league debut in the second half of the season, after the Nationals have long been eliminated from the playoff picture.

In the meantime, Jason Marquis will take the mound as the Nationals’ opening day starter. Marquis won 15 games last season with the Rockies, posting a solid 4.04 ERA in the league’s most hitter friendly ballpark. Playing in Washington will help keep the ball in the park for Marquis, but the lack of run support will more than likely result in a drop in the wins column.

John Lannan, who won nine games last season in Washington, will start in the two-spot for the Nationals. Lannan is a decent middle-of-the-rotation starter, and has kept his ERA below 4.00 over the past two seasons. Look for more of the same this summer.

One of the Nationals’ more interesting story lines this year will be whether Chien-Ming Wang will be able to make a comeback from a shoulder injury that kept him from being affective over the past two seasons.

When healthy Wang was one the premier pitchers in all of baseball, winning 19 games in each of the seasons prior to his injury. If he can come back healthy be could be the ace of the Nationals’ rotation, creating much needed depth for the staff. If healthy, Wang’s sinkerball should cause havoc in the national league.

If he cannot return to form, however, it might mean the end of the line for one of the best Taiwanese player of all time.

Prediction

It is no shocker to say that the Nationals will battle it out with the Pirates for the worst record in baseball this season. But the Nationals are not too worried about making the playoffs this season.

This year will be about the rise of Zimmerman to elite status, and the beginning of the Strasburg era. A glimmer of hope from the best pitching prospect in a long time will go a long way in Washington, giving the team a little hope for the future.

Look for the Nationals once again to come in last in their division, but to make some strides along the way.