Washington Nationals preview The Nationals have finished last in the N.L. East in three of their four seasons in Washington, D.C., and last year was by far the worst. Despite moving into a shiny new stadium, the Nationals produced an MLB-worst 59 wins and finished 32-1/2 games behind the division-leading Phillies. THREE QUESTIONS 1. How much of a difference can Adam Dunn make? There's little doubt what type of numbers Dunn will produce. He is a low-average, high-on-base-percentage player who annually clubs 40 home runs and has roughly 100 RBIs. But what type of impact will Dunn have on the rest of the lineup? Manager Manny Acta is excited to have a bopper in the middle of the order -- especially a guy who is patient and hits lefthanded -- who can add a semblance of balance to the lineup. With Dunn hitting cleanup, third baseman Ryan Zimmerman can focus on hitting line drives, and young outfielders Lastings Milledge and Elijah Dukes don't have to try to carry the load. Outfielder Josh Willingham is another powerful bat new to the Nationals this spring; he is capable of hitting 25 homers if he is healthy and earns enough playing time. 2. How will the rotation shake out behind John Lannan and Scott Olsen? For years, baseball folks have been waiting for Daniel Cabrera to "figure it out" on the mound. The Orioles finally gave up this offseason, releasing the talented but wildly inconsistent 6-7 righthander with a golden arm and scattershot control. Through 12 starts last year, Cabrera was 5-1 with a 3.60 ERA; he was 3-9 with a 6.57 ERA in his final 18 starts. He is penciled in as the Nationals' No. 3 starter this spring. Shawn Hill is hoping he can stay healthy after elbow issues, and former second-round pick Jordan Zimmermann has a career 2.74 ERA in the minors but hasn't thrown above Class AA. Jason Bergmann made 22 starts for Washington last year (but was 2-11 with a 5.09 ERA), Collin Balestar made 15 (3-7, 5.51) and rookie Shairon Martis had a 5.56 ERA in five games (four starts) last season. 3. Is Joel Hanrahan ready to close? He certainly is going to get the opportunity. Hanrahan, a 27-year-old righthander who spent most of his time in the minors as a starter (he made 11 starts for the Nationals in 2007, going 5-3 with a 6.00 ERA), inherited the role when Jon Rauch was dealt to the Diamondbacks before last year's trading deadline. At the time, Hanrahan had a 3.94 ERA. He finished the season with a 3.95 ERA, so the new role didn't have any effect on his production. He saved nine games in 13 opportunities. PROJECTED LINEUP 1. 2B Anderson Hernandez. Battling Ronnie Belliard and Willie Harris for starting job. 2. SS Cristian Guzman. One of team's few consistent hitters (.316 average) in 2008. 3. 3B Ryan Zimmerman. Coming off a frustrating, injury-filled campaign. 4. LF Adam Dunn. Finally, a legit power hitter in the lineup. 5. RF Elijah Dukes. Showed flashes (13 homers, 13 stolen bases) when healthy. 6. CF Lastings Milledge. Speedster turns 24 day before opening day. 7. 1B Nick Johnson. Slick fielder, sweet swing; can't stay healthy. 8. C Jesus Flores. In only 90 games, youngster finished just two RBIs shy of team lead. PROJECTED ROTATION 1. LHP John Lannan. Allowed three earned runs or fewer in 23 of 31 starts last year. 2. LHP Scott Olsen. Threw 25 more innings in 2008, but had fewer walks, strikeouts and hits allowed than in '07. 3. RHP Daniel Cabrera. Talented Orioles castoff gets another shot to find consistency. 4. RHP Shawn Hill. Return from elbow issues would be a huge boost to rotation. 5. RHP Jordan Zimmermann. Rookie vying to make the jump from Class AA. PROJECTED CLOSER RHP Joel Hanrahan. Has closer-like strikeout numbers but too many walks. GRADES Offense: C. Washington didn't have a player with more than 14 homers, 61 RBIs or 77 runs scored in 2008, but Dunn and Willingham should improve the unit that ranked 28th in the majors in runs scored. Milledge and Dukes showed good power-speed potential; their continued improvement could make this the franchise's best lineup since the move to D.C. Pitching: D. The top two arms in the rotation -- Lannan and Olsen -- are underrated lefthanders capable of sustained runs of productive outings. After that, there's nothing remotely certain about the rotation. The bullpen has questions, and Hanrahan is unproven in the ninth-inning role. Bench: D. There are probably bigger names on the bench than in the starting lineup, including Willingham. Two former top-notch outfield prospects, Austin Kearns and Wily Mo Pena, hit a combined .213 with nine homers in 508 at-bats last year. Belliard doesn't offer much versatility, but Willie Harris is both versatile and productive. Manager: C. Manny Acta is a forward thinker who uses more of the advanced statistical analyses than many of his counterparts. Now that he has better talent on the roster, he'll have more of a chance to prove himself in the win-loss column. Still, Acta probably can't afford another season in the 60-win range. Sporting News prediction: The Nationals should eclipse their 59-win effort from last year, but anything higher than a last-place finish would be a surprise in the N.L.'s best division. --

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