Throughout their brief history, the Washington Nationals have typically been built on pitching. That is not a slight to their offense, as their potent lineup is among the best in the league, but pitching has been their heart and soul.
This was certainly the case in 2017, which was especially evident when Max Scherzer took home his second consecutive Cy Young Award. To make things even sweeter for the Nats, Stephen Strasburg finished third in voting.
Now, four of the five starters from the Nats’ 2017 rotation will return. Joe Ross, who served as the fifth starter last year, will be forced to miss at least the first half of 2018 while he recovers from Tommy John Surgery.