Deep and healthy, the Nationals outfield appears set

Multiple injuries had the Nationals experimenting in the outfield most of last season. Danny Espinosa and Clint Robinson, both career infielders, logged several innings in the outfield for the first time in the majors. Michael A. Taylor was expected to receive more seasoning in the minors. Instead, he ended up as the opening day center fielder and leadoff hitter, and appeared in 138 games.

Even Reed Johnson and Matt den Dekker, who were acquired in the final days of spring training, made the Nats' opening day roster.

But the Nationals are healthy a month before spring training this year. Last winter, Denard Span and Jayson Werth were recovering from surgeries, with the effects lingering all season. Span is gone and the Nationals are hoping Werth returns to form after a difficult 2015.

General manager Mike Rizzo has bolstered the Nationals outfield heading into 2016. The trade for Ben Revere gives them a left-handed leadoff hitter who can play all three outfield positions, most importantly center.

Obviously, National League MVP Bryce Harper has right field locked down with Werth in left. Taylor packs serious punch off the bench along with show-stopping defense. And den Dekker flashed his glove and showed a dangerous bat at the end of last season.

"We got ourselves five really good outfielders, I think, on the roster right now that are gonna compete for playing time," Rizzo said. "Jayson Werth and Harp, obviously, they're gonna get their at-bats whenever they're able to do so. You got Michael Taylor, a special prospect and a really good player that emerged on the big league level last year. You got yourself den Dekker, who can really do a lot of things for us off the bench. And Ben. So we like where we're at right now depth-wise in the outfield.

"We gave our manager, Dusty Baker, a lot of different options, a lot of different ways to go. We feel good at where we're at balance-wise in the lineup. Athleticism, speed - those are all things that we tried to adhere to this winter and to improve ourselves in. And I think when you look at the athleticism we've added, the accomplished major league hitters that we've put on the roster, the guys that don't strike out much and move the ball around and can play really opportunistic offense. I think that was what we were going into the offseason trying to do and I think we've accomplished a lot of our goals."