Nats positional preview: Starting pitchers

Time to take a look at the part of this Nationals team guaranteed to damage a plethora of hitters' egos and cause a lot of sleepless nights for opposing managers in 2015: the starting rotation.

Every night throughout the season, the Nationals' starting pitcher should have his name in lights on a marquee outside the ballpark. This is a blockbuster five-man rotation. It figures to be the main storyline for this team and one that all of Major League Baseball will follow during the season.

The big splash came a month ago when free agent Max Scherzer landed in the nation's capital after signing the largest contract in baseball history for a right-hander.

But I thought the Nats already had the best starting rotation in baseball...

In 2014, Nats starters led the National League with a combined 3.04 ERA and 1.14 WHIP while finishing 70-49. They were a force for a team that ended up blowing away the National League East.

Stephen Strasburg started opening day in 2014, the third time the Nats have called on him for that assignment. The right-hander followed it up with a 14-11 record and a 3.14 ERA. Strasburg reached career-highs in strikeouts (242), games started (34) and innings pitched (215). He tied Cincinnati's Johnny Cueto for the NL strikeout lead, while his innings total was fifth-best in the NL. Strasburg started Game 1 of the National League Division Series. No reason not to expect greater results for Strasburg in 2015 with any limitations from Tommy John surgery long gone in the rear view mirror.

When we last saw Jordan Zimmermann, he was arguably the best pitcher in baseball after just throwing a no-hitter in the final game of the regular season. He was almost as sharp a few days later in Game 2 of the NLDS, when he allowed just three hits in 8 2/3 innings in a game the Nats eventually lost in 18 innings. For the season, Zimmermann delivered a 2.66 ERA, the best mark of his career. He posted a 14-5 record while finishing fifth in the NL Cy Young Award voting and earning his second consecutive All-Star selection. Zimmermann is only signed through this season, so Rizzo will have quite a bit of math to do to figure out whether to back up the Brinks truck for the 28-year-old right-hander.

Big right-hander Doug Fister went head-to-head with Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner in Game 3 of the NLDS last year. Fister was the ultimate stopper when the Nats needed him most, allowing three hits and no runs in seven strong innings to keep the club's postseason chins up. Missing time early in the season seemingly didn't affect Fister, who finished 16-6 with a 2.41 ERA. Like Zimmermann, Fister will also be pitching for big free agency dollars in 2015. His contract with the Nats expires after his second season with the ballclub.

The Nats hope Gio Gonzalez carries over his late-season form from a year ago into 2015. The left-hander was 10-10 with a 3.57 ERA in 2014. He finished strong though with a 2.77 ERA in his last nine starts. The Nats would love to see him get results similar to his 2012 season, when Gonzalez finished 21-8 with 207 strikeouts.

That brings us to Scherzer. The 30-year-old won the American League Cy Young Award in 2013 when he went 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA for the Tigers. Last season, he finished tied for third in the majors with 252 strikeouts while going 18-5. Scherzer also brings a wealth of playoff experience to the Nationals, having started 10 games in eight different playoff series, including two in the 2012 World Series with Detroit.

If any pitcher suffers an injury that requires any lengthy time missed, righty Tanner Roark steps back into a role he performed masterfully last season to the tune of a 15-10 record and a 2.85 ERA in 31 starts.

The signing of Scherzer vaulted the Nats to the top odds to win the World Series. But let's pump the brakes here before arguing about who should start in Game 1 of the Fall Classic.

So have at it - who starts opening day?

Heading south: I'll be in Viera, Fla., throughout spring training beginning this afternoon. Make sure you check in on Twitter and Instagram at @masnCJ for continuous updates, including pictures and videos. And I'll have posts daily here on MASNsports.com.