5 Q's Nats must answer before Opening Day

WASHINGTON -- With Opening Day 2022 rapidly approaching, the Nationals have significant areas of their roster to address. Take a look at five questions facing the Nats as they prepare to take the field this season.

1. What will Juan Soto do next at the plate?
Soto, 23, has built upon his dominance season after season. He's coming off a 2021 campaign in which he finished second in the National League MVP voting, earned a Silver Slugger Award and his first All-Star selection and posted MLB bests in on-base percentage (.465) and walks (145).

This season, per ZiPs, Soto is projected to lead the league in batting average (.314), OBP (.461), OPS (1.042), wOBA (.435) and walks (144). He also is projected to rank second in the NL in slugging percentage (.581). Soto already has put himself in elite historic company with his accomplishments at a young age, and he is poised to be a mainstay in MVP consideration for years to come.

2. Who will fill Ryan Zimmerman’s role?
The face of the Nationals announced his retirement in February after playing 16 seasons with the club that selected him with its first Draft pick in 2005. Zimmerman had thrived as the backup first baseman in ‘21, and the Nationals will have to decide during Spring Training who will share duties with Josh Bell. Catcher Riley Adams participated in first-base defensive drills last season to get experience at the position. The Nats could task the 6-foot-4 25-year-old with taking on multiple roles, or they could look to the free agent market to find a backup.

3. Who will pitch in the starting rotation?
The Nationals are expecting Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross to return from season-ending injuries and be ready for Spring Training. If the right-handers get the green light for Opening Day, they would join Patrick Corbin and Josiah Gray in the projected starting rotation.

There are several candidates who stepped up last season ready to vie for the open fifth spot, including Erick Fedde (7-9, 5.26 ERA in 27 starts), Paolo Espino (5-4, 4.50 ERA in 19 starts), Josh Rogers (2-2, 3.28 ERA in six starts) and Joan Adon (0-0, 3.38 ERA in one start). Cade Cavalli -- the Nationals’ No. 1 prospect and MLB’s No. 39 overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline -- is expected to receive a Major League callup this season, but the Nats do not want to rush his debut for Opening Day if he is not ready in Spring Training.

4. Who will man the outfield?
Soto in right field is one of the few positions that is a lock for the Nationals. The club will have to decide whether Victor Robles reclaims the starting role in center field after he was optioned to Triple-A for the final month of last season, or if Lane Thomas keeps the job. If Robles demonstrates improved offensive production and the defensive spark that made him a 2019 Gold Glove finalist, the Nationals could shift Thomas to left field, where they already have several options in Yadiel Hernandez, Andrew Stevenson and Donovan Casey (the Nats’ No. 18 prospect). The team could also explore the free agent market for help.

5. Who will start at third base?
Carter Kieboom will compete for the starting role during Spring Training for the third year in a row. He is coming off a 2021 season in which he hit .207, including six home runs, and posted a .958 fielding percentage in 62 games. (Kieboom also played 44 games in Triple-A.)

At the end of last season, Rizzo said of Kieboom: “Now it’s time for him to make an adjustment to the league, and the great ones do it and the average ones don’t. So the jury’s still out if he can make those adjustments, but he’s got the skillset and the tools to be a good everyday player in the big leagues.”

If the Nationals deem Kieboom ready to be the everyday third baseman, they would have backup options in Alcides Escobar and César Hernández. If they decide to go in another direction, both veterans have experience playing third base and could platoon or start at the position.