2022 Nats media season predictions

Well, here we are. It’s opening day. Er, make that opening night after the Nationals pushed back first pitch against the Mets from 4:05 p.m. to 7:05 p.m. in hopes that all the rain will clear out before the team takes the field for the first time.

This promises to be a season unlike any we’ve experienced around here in a long time. For the first time since 2011, the Nats are not expected to contend. That doesn’t mean they can’t. It just means most don’t see it happening.

Low expectations, though, can lead to all kinds of uncertainty when trying to predict how a season is going to play out. And that’s exactly what we’ve got in the 13th annual edition of our opening day media predictions questionnaire. (Yes, this yearly tradition dates all the way back to the last time the Nationals weren’t expected to win. It’s finally come full circle.)

There is some consensus among some of our predictions, but there’s some huge variance in other categories. Like, we’ve got five different answers to the question: “Who will lead the team in saves?” When have you ever seen something like that before?

As always, a big thank you to my colleagues for participating and exposing themselves to the inevitable embarrassment that comes with this. And for those who don’t remember: We’ll republish all of these predictions after the season ends, so we can see just how awful we did.

Enjoy this rite of spring, and whether you’re heading to the ballpark or staying home to watch on MASN, hope everyone out there has a wonderful opening day!

WHICH NATIONALS WILL BE SELECTED FOR THE ALL-STAR GAME?
Bobby Blanco (MASNsports.com) - Juan Soto
Jessica Camerato (MLB.com) - Juan Soto
Jesse Dougherty (Washington Post) - Juan Soto
Andrew Golden (Washington Post) - Juan Soto
Craig Heist (106.7 The Fan) - Josh Bell, Nelson Cruz
Chelsea Janes (Washington Post) - Keibert Ruiz, Juan Soto
Pete Kerzel (MASNsports.com) - Juan Soto
Bill Ladson (MLB.com honorary) - Juan Soto
Mark Zuckerman (MASNsports.com) - Juan Soto

WHAT WILL TOTAL ATTENDANCE BE AT NATIONALS PARK?
Pete Kerzel - 2,355,333
Bobby Blanco - 2,330,358
Bill Ladson - 2,300,000
Jessica Camerato - 2,133,008
Craig Heist - 2,102,500
Chelsea Janes - 2,000,001
Andrew Golden - 1,673,801
Mark Zuckerman - 1,627,812
Jesse Dougherty - 1,522,310

WHAT WILL JUAN SOTO’S OPS BE?
Bill Ladson - 1.099
Pete Kerzel - 1.091
Jesse Dougherty - 1.078
Jessica Camerato - 1.053
Mark Zuckerman - 1.047
Andrew Golden - 1.024
Chelsea Janes - 1.008
Bobby Blanco - .993
Craig Heist - .960

HOW MANY WALKS WILL SOTO DRAW?
Mark Zuckerman - 152
Pete Kerzel - 151
Jessica Camerato - 139
Andrew Golden - 134
Bobby Blanco - 133
Craig Heist - 132
Chelsea Janes - 132
Jesse Dougherty - 128
Bill Ladson - 120

RANK JOSH BELL, NELSON CRUZ, KEIBERT RUIZ AND JUAN SOTO IN ORDER OF HOME RUNS HIT FOR THE NATIONALS.
Bobby Blanco - Soto, Bell, Ruiz, Cruz
Jessica Camerato - Soto, Bell, Ruiz, Cruz
Bill Ladson - Soto, Bell, Ruiz, Cruz
Andrew Golden - Soto, Bell, Cruz, Ruiz
Pete Kerzel - Soto, Bell, Cruz, Ruiz
Chelsea Janes - Soto, Cruz, Bell, Ruiz
Jesse Dougherty - Bell, Soto, Cruz, Ruiz
Mark Zuckerman - Bell, Soto, Cruz, Ruiz
Craig Heist - Cruz, Bell, Soto, Ruiz

WHO WILL BAT LEADOFF THE MOST TIMES?
Bobby Blanco - César Hernández
Jessica Camerato - César Hernández
Jesse Dougherty - César Hernández
Andrew Golden - César Hernández
Chelsea Janes - César Hernández
Pete Kerzel - César Hernández
Mark Zuckerman - Lane Thomas
Craig Heist - Dee Strange-Gordon
Bill Ladson - Dee Strange-Gordon

RANK LUIS GARCÍA, CARTER KIEBOOM AND VICTOR ROBLES IN ORDER OF PLATE APPEARANCES FOR THE NATIONALS.
Andrew Golden - Robles, Kieboom, García
Chelsea Janes - Robles, Kieboom, García
Pete Kerzel - Robles, Kieboom, García
Bobby Blanco - Robles, García, Kieboom
Jessica Camerato - Robles, García, Kieboom
Jesse Dougherty - Robles, García, Kieboom
Craig Heist - Robles, García, Kieboom
Mark Zuckerman - Robles, García, Kieboom
Bill Ladson - García, Robles, Kieboom

WHO WILL START THE MOST GAMES IN LEFT FIELD?
Bobby Blanco - Lane Thomas
Jessica Camerato - Lane Thomas
Jesse Dougherty - Lane Thomas
Andrew Golden - Lane Thomas
Craig Heist - Lane Thomas
Pete Kerzel - Lane Thomas
Bill Ladson - Lane Thomas
Mark Zuckerman - Dee Strange-Gordon
Chelsea Janes - Justin Upton

WHO WILL LEAD THE PITCHING STAFF IN WINS? HOW MANY?
Bobby Blanco - Patrick Corbin, 13
Craig Heist - Stephen Strasburg, 12
Jessica Camerato - Patrick Corbin, 11
Pete Kerzel - Patrick Corbin, 11
Bill Ladson - Patrick Corbin, 11
Mark Zuckerman - Patrick Corbin, 11
Chelsea Janes - Erick Fedde, 11
Andrew Golden - Patrick Corbin, 10
Jesse Dougherty - Patrick Corbin, 9

HOW MANY STARTS WILL STEPHEN STRASBURG MAKE FOR THE NATIONALS?
Bobby Blanco - 25
Craig Heist - 22
Andrew Golden - 19
Jessica Camerato - 18
Jesse Dougherty - 17
Chelsea Janes - 16
Bill Ladson - 15
Pete Kerzel - 14
Mark Zuckerman - 12

WHEN WILL CADE CAVALLI MAKE HIS MLB DEBUT?
Jessica Camerato - May 10 vs. Mets
Jesse Dougherty - May 27 vs. Rockies
Mark Zuckerman - May 27 vs. Rockies
Craig Heist - June 1 at Mets
Andrew Golden - June 10 vs. Brewers
Bobby Blanco - June 17 vs. Phillies
Chelsea Janes - June 18 vs. Phillies
Pete Kerzel - June 18 vs. Phillies
Bill Ladson - Sept. 1 vs. Athletics

RANK PATRICK CORBIN, ERICK FEDDE, JOSIAH GRAY AND ANÍBAL SÁNCHEZ IN ORDER OF ERA.
Bobby Blanco - Corbin, Fedde, Gray, Sánchez
Andrew Golden - Corbin, Fedde, Gray, Sánchez
Jessica Camerato - Corbin, Gray, Fedde, Sánchez
Jesse Dougherty - Corbin, Gray, Fedde, Sánchez
Bill Ladson - Corbin, Gray, Fedde, Sánchez
Pete Kerzel - Gray, Corbin, Fedde, Sánchez
Mark Zuckerman - Gray, Corbin, Fedde, Sánchez
Craig Heist - Gray, Fedde, Corbin, Sánchez
Chelsea Janes - Fedde, Corbin, Sánchez, Gray

WHO WILL LEAD THE TEAM IN SAVES? HOW MANY?
Bobby Blanco - Sean Doolittle, 23
Andrew Golden - Kyle Finnegan, 22
Bill Ladson - Sean Doolittle, 20
Jessica Camerato - Tanner Rainey, 19
Pete Kerzel - Tanner Rainey, 19
Jesse Dougherty - Tanner Rainey, 18
Craig Heist - Steve Cishek, 17
Chelsea Janes - Tanner Rainey, 17
Mark Zuckerman - Tyler Clippard, 14

RANK STEVE CISHEK, TYLER CLIPPARD, SEAN DOOLITTLE, KYLE FINNEGAN AND TANNER RAINEY IN ORDER OF APPEARANCES FOR THE NATIONALS.
Bobby Blanco - Doolittle, Cishek, Clippard, Rainey, Finnegan
Bill Ladson - Doolittle, Cishek, Rainey, Finnegan, Clippard
Pete Kerzel - Cishek, Rainey, Doolittle, Finnegan, Clippard
Jessica Camerato - Finnegan, Rainey, Cishek, Doolittle, Clippard
Jesse Dougherty - Finnegan, Rainey, Cishek, Doolittle, Clippard
Mark Zuckerman - Finnegan, Rainey, Cishek, Clippard, Doolittle
Andrew Golden - Finnegan, Cishek, Rainey, Clippard, Doolittle
Chelsea Janes - Finnegan, Cishek, Rainey, Clippard, Doolittle
Craig Heist - Finnegan, Cishek, Rainey, Doolittle, Clippard

WHO WILL HIT THE MOST HOMERS AGAINST THE NATIONALS THIS SEASON?
Bobby Blanco - Bryce Harper
Pete Kerzel - Bryce Harper
Jesse Dougherty - Kyle Schwarber
Mark Zuckerman - Kyle Schwarber
Jessica Camerato - Pete Alonso
Andrew Golden - Pete Alonso
Craig Heist - Pete Alonso
Bill Ladson - Pete Alonso
Chelsea Janes - Ronald Acuña Jr.

HOW MANY STRIKEOUTS WILL MAX SCHERZER RECORD AGAINST THE NATIONALS THIS SEASON?
Bill Ladson - 50
Mark Zuckerman - 42
Jessica Camerato - 35
Andrew Golden - 35
Bobby Blanco - 30
Craig Heist - 29
Chelsea Janes - 27
Jesse Dougherty - 26
Pete Kerzel - 23

HOW WILL THE NL EAST FINISH FROM TOP TO BOTTOM?
Andrew Golden - Braves, Phillies, Mets, Nationals, Marlins
Chelsea Janes - Braves, Phillies, Mets, Marlins, Nationals
Pete Kerzel - Braves, Phillies, Mets, Marlins, Nationals
Jesse Dougherty - Braves, Mets, Phillies, Marlins, Nationals
Mark Zuckerman - Braves, Mets, Phillies, Marlins, Nationals
Jessica Camerato - Braves, Mets, Phillies, Nationals, Marlins
Craig Heist - Braves, Mets, Marlins, Phillies, Nationals
Bill Ladson - Braves, Phillies, Marlins, Nationals, Mets
Bobby Blanco - Mets, Phillies, Braves, Marlins, Nationals

WHAT WILL THE NATIONALS’ RECORD BE?
Craig Heist - 79-83
Jessica Camerato - 72-90
Chelsea Janes - 72-90
Bill Ladson - 71-91
Andrew Golden - 67-95
Mark Zuckerman - 67-95
Pete Kerzel - 64-98
Bobby Blanco - 63-99
Jesse Dougherty - 63-99