Searching for Adam LaRoche

The Nationals will have a new look next season in many respects. They will have a new manager for the first time since 2013. They will also be without Ian Desmond and Jordan Zimmermann, two of the longest-tenured starters in their clubhouse.

Not only will the players that step onto the field next season be guided by a new skipper, there also will need to be players in the clubhouse that lead by example. Those players may also need to be the sounding board for the younger players, who may need advice from players that have been in the big league for a long time.

Players like Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman, veterans who have been with the Nationals for some time, will need to fill that void left by a Desmond or a Zimmermann.

Bryce Harper, who will turn 23 on Oct. 16, has stepped up as a leader on the field with his MVP-type season, but also after games while meeting with the media. Just like Desmond, Harper spoke pretty much after every game, win or lose, 0-for-4 or a grand slam. Desmond spoke after games and was the face to go with the leadership that represented the team on and off the field.

Harper is still young to this league, despite his All-Star numbers. Werth and Zimmerman need to step into that role as clubhouse and player leader more aggressively without Desmond around.

Max Scherzer has been a leader by example for the pitchers. I believe part of the reason Stephen Strasburg finished strong in 2015 was because of Scherzer's influence. Scherzer spoke several times after games about how he used the mental side of his game to help him get better in games. Strasburg did this too by mixing his pitches, working with his catcher and not always having to rely on the fastball to get everyone out.

Strasburg used other pitches to help make his fastball better and got a lot of his strikeouts with his breaking stuff. Earlier in his career when the game would get off to a rocky start for Strasburg, the rest of his game would go south quickly. This season, he made a solid step forward in shaking off one bad pitch and not letting it affect his entire start. I think working alongside Scherzer rubbed off on Strasburg's game to the positive, helping him keep calm by taking a cerebral approach instead of looking to throw every pitch through the catcher's glove.

But everyday position players need a leader in the clubhouse too, and it has to be a fellow player, regardless of how hands-on the manager is or is not.

In 2014, with the team winning 96 games, first baseman Adam LaRoche filled that role as clubhouse leader. LaRoche was a veteran player that the younger players looked up to. He was always approachable. A lot of players went to him for advice. He was a pro, he understood what they were going through.

A quiet, thoughtful man, younger players looked up to him and knew that they could talk to LaRoche about anything, baseball or otherwise, and he would help them. He was never flashy. He was always calm and strong, exemplifying what the Nationals wanted to be. That rubbed off on the team and was part of the reason they played with confidence.

LaRoche had a career season with the Nationals in 2012, earning Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards and finishing sixth in the NL MVP race. His left-handed bat was key from the first base slot. Having that kind of power in the middle of the lineup helped the right-handed hitters get pitches to hit. The Nationals could also use a left-handed power bat besides Harper, similar to what LaRoche provided those four seasons he was wearing the curly W.

But from a leadership standpoint, the Nationals need a player that can lead in the clubhouse like LaRoche did.

That free agent might be available. But then again, someone on the team right now could also take on the responsibility. They have guys in house that can do it. And it has to be a player, not the manager.