Before we examine the NL East managers and benches, I want to take the time to savor the pending opening of Nationals Park, the Washington Nationals new ballpark, scheduled to host its first regular season game this Sunday, March 30, 2008. The stadium looks breathtaking, poised to become a beautiful Washington landmark. I want to sit back, sigh and say “ahhh” thinking of the joyful summer nights there with my friends and family.
After a brief hiatus, let’s return to the breakdown of the NL East. Today, we’ll examine each team’s bullpen and rank them. In 2007, it’s not a stretch to say the Nationals’ bullpen saved their season. They logged more innings than any other team in the division, as the Nats’ patchwork starting rotation usually struggled. They likely will have to turn in a similar performance in 2008, especially if John Patterson and Shawn Hill, as they usually do, struggle to stay healthy. So, let’s look at the bullpens.
A few years ago, I wrote this short vision of what a new baseball stadium in Washington might look like for Nats News, the quarterly newsletter the Washington Baseball Historical Society (WBHS) publishes. A lot of this has come to pass, more awaits in the future. The statues of Walter Johnson, Josh Gibson and Frank Howard will be in place next season.