2018 Nats media season predictions

So we always run this feature on opening day. It's a tradition, now in its ninth consecutive season, spanning three different websites. The idea is to reveal these predictions just before the Nationals take the field for their first game of the season. Just one problem: They're not playing today. (Thanks, Cincinnati weather!)

Well, rather than postpone the publication of this season's media predictions - and thus have to come up with some other story idea I never planned for - I made the executive decision to just go ahead and publish it today as originally intended.

Thanks as always to my colleague on the Nats beat for subjecting themselves to the scrutiny that comes with this exercise. And apologies in advance for the re-publishing of this post after the season is over so we can recall who made the worst predictions. Though as you'll see in many of the categories, there's not a whole lot of variance. Either we all really know what we're talking about, or we all have absolutely no clue what we're talking about.

Anyway, enjoy our predictions. And if you're brave enough, please feel free to share your own predictions in the comments section below ...

WHICH NATIONALS WILL BE SELECTED FOR THE ALL-STAR GAME?
Jorge Castillo (Washington Post) - Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Trea Turner
Jamal Collier (MLB.com) - Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Trea Turner
Todd Dybas (TheSportsCapitol.com) - Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg
Craig Heist (106.7 The Fan) - Sean Doolittle, Anthony Rendon, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Trea Turner
Chelsea Janes (Washington Post) - Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Ryan Zimmerman
Byron Kerr (MASNsports.com) - Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg
Pete Kerzel (MASNsports.com) - Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Trea Turner
Bill Ladson (MLB.com) - Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Trea Turner
Eddie Matz (ESPN.com) - Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg
Mark Zuckerman (MASNsports.com) - Sean Doolittle, Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg

WHAT WILL TOTAL HOME ATTENDANCE BE?
Jorge Castillo - 2,720,569
Byron Kerr - 2,720,000
Craig Heist - 2,700,000
Bill Ladson - 2,700,000
Mark Zuckerman - 2,637,845
Pete Kerzel - 2,621,543
Jamal Collier - 2,583,107
Eddie Matz - 2,565,993
Chelsea Janes - 2,550,000
Todd Dybas - 2,548,978

HOW MANY HOMERS WILL BRYCE HARPER HIT?
Jorge Castillo - 42
Craig Heist - 42
Chelsea Janes - 42
Jamal Collier - 41
Mark Zuckerman - 39
Todd Dybas - 38
Pete Kerzel - 38
Eddie Matz - 36
Byron Kerr - 34
Bill Ladson - 30

HOW MANY STOLEN BASES WILL TREA TURNER HAVE?
Byron Kerr - 79
Jorge Castillo - 71
Bill Ladson - 70
Chelsea Janes - 68
Craig Heist - 65
Mark Zuckerman - 62
Eddie Matz - 61
Jamal Collier - 55
Pete Kerzel - 51
Todd Dybas - 41

WHAT WILL MATT WIETERS' BATTING AVERAGE BE?
Byron Kerr - .257
Pete Kerzel - .257
Craig Heist - .255
Jorge Castillo - .252
Mark Zuckerman - .251
Bill Ladson - .250
Eddie Matz - .249
Todd Dybas - .248
Jamal Collier - .243
Chelsea Janes - .241

WHEN WILL DANIEL MURPHY MAKE HIS SEASON DEBUT?
Eddie Matz - April 8
Craig Heist - April 27
Chelsea Janes - April 27
Jamal Collier - May 2
Jorge Castillo - May 4
Todd Dybas - May 15
Byron Kerr - May 15
Bill Ladson - May 15
Mark Zuckerman - May 18
Pete Kerzel - May 31

RANK RYAN ZIMMERMAN, DANIEL MURPHY AND ANTHONY RENDON IN ORDER OF OPS
Jamal Collier - Rendon, Murphy, Zimmerman
Todd Dybas - Rendon, Murphy, Zimmerman
Craig Heist - Rendon, Murphy, Zimmerman
Chelsea Janes - Rendon, Murphy, Zimmerman
Byron Kerr - Rendon, Murphy, Zimmerman
Eddie Matz - Rendon, Murphy, Zimmerman
Jorge Castillo - Rendon, Zimmerman, Murphy
Pete Kerzel - Rendon, Zimmerman, Murphy
Bill Ladson - Rendon, Zimmerman, Murphy
Mark Zuckerman - Rendon, Zimmerman, Murphy

HOW MANY MAJOR LEAGUE PLATE APPEARANCES WILL VICTOR ROBLES GET?
Jamal Collier - 317
Bill Ladson - 250
Jorge Castillo - 231
Pete Kerzel - 174
Mark Zuckerman - 162
Byron Kerr - 100
Chelsea Janes - 86
Eddie Matz - 53
Todd Dybas - 42
Craig Heist - 40

HOW MANY TIMES WILL THE PITCHER BAT EIGHTH IN THE STARTING LINEUP?
Mark Zuckerman - 57
Jamal Collier - 52
Eddie Matz - 41
Todd Dybas - 26
Chelsea Janes - 25
Byron Kerr - 21
Pete Kerzel - 21
Craig Heist - 20
Bill Ladson - 20
Jorge Castillo - 3

WHO WILL LEAD THE PITCHING STAFF IN WINS? HOW MANY?
Todd Dybas - Max Scherzer, 21
Craig Heist - Stephen Strasburg, 21
Byron Kerr - Max Scherzer, 21
Bill Ladson - Max Scherzer, 20
Eddie Matz - Max Scherzer, 20
Pete Kerzel - Max Scherzer, 19
Chelsea Janes - Stephen Strasburg, 19
Mark Zuckerman - Max Scherzer, 18
Jorge Castillo - Stephen Strasburg, 18
Jamal Collier - Max Scherzer, 17

EXCLUDING SCHERZER, STRASBURG, GONZALEZ AND ROARK, WHAT PITCHER WILL START THE MOST GAMES?
Todd Dybas - A.J. Cole
Craig Heist - A.J. Cole
Chelsea Janes - A.J. Cole
Bill Ladson - A.J. Cole
Jorge Castillo - Jeremy Hellickson
Pete Kerzel - Jeremy Hellickson
Eddie Matz - Jeremy Hellickson
Jamal Collier - Erick Fedde
Byron Kerr - Edwin Jackson
Mark Zuckerman - Danny Duffy

HOW MANY SAVES WILL SEAN DOOLITTLE RECORD? HOW MANY BLOWN SAVES?
Bill Ladson - 40, 5
Mark Zuckerman - 39, 4
Todd Dybas - 36, 3
Jorge Castillo - 36, 4
Craig Heist - 36, 4
Jamal Collier - 35, 4
Chelsea Janes - 35, 4
Pete Kerzel - 34, 4
Eddie Matz - 32, 4
Byron Kerr - 30, 4

HOW MANY GAMES WILL THE NATIONALS WIN?
Chelsea Janes - 96
Pete Kerzel - 96
Eddie Matz - 96
Jorge Castillo - 95
Todd Dybas - 95
Craig Heist - 95
Bill Ladson - 95
Byron Kerr - 94
Jamal Collier - 93
Mark Zuckerman - 93

HOW WILL THE NATIONALS' SEASON END?
Pete Kerzel - Lose World Series
Eddie Matz - Lose World Series
Mark Zuckerman - Lose World Series
Jorge Castillo - Lose NLCS
Jamal Collier - Lose NLCS
Todd Dybas - Lose NLCS
Craig Heist - Lose NLCS
Chelsea Janes - Lose NLCS
Byron Kerr - Lose NLCS
Bill Ladson - Lose NLDS