After contract disputes with the newly hired Bud Black, the Washington Nationals backed away from the table, and instead named Dusty Baker the new manager. Considering all the teams out there looking for a new manager, and all the candidates available, the Nats may have gotten the best one. Despite winning the 2014 NL Manager of the Year Award, Matt Williams was not able make Washington overcome the injuries and locker room tension in 2015. So, Dusty will take over, as he will try to win with one of the most talented rosters on paper.
The Nats were huge WS favorites going into the 2015 campaign, but instead they finished with 83 victories missing the playoffs in all. Yes, some players underperformed, and Matt Williams may not had been what he was in 2014, but the main reasoning behind the Nats failure of a season, was team chemistry. Dusty Baker is a 66-year-old tough son of a bitch who was 20+ years of coaching experience. What baseball has re-unveiled the last few seasons is the importance of a fundamentally sound locker room with a manager at the helm who can work his way around injuries in his lineup. Dusty has worked with super talented rosters and tough locker rooms before, including one of the selfish players of all-time in Barry Bonds, as Dusty won NL Manager of the Year three times with the Giants.
If one thinks that a tensioned teammate rivalry like Bryce Harper and Jonathan Papelbon will be hard to contain, think again, as Dusty put a leash on Jeff Kent and Bonds (one of the biggest teammate rivalries in history) in San Fran with no problem. Think the Nats have to much talent to juggle for Baker? Think again, as he has been to the playoffs 7 times in his managerial career. Not only does he excel with the lineup card and getting his men in order, but he knows how to manage the pitching staff as well. He has led pitching staffs like the 2003 Cubs deep into the postseason, who had no ace, just Carlos Zambrano, Mark Prior, and Kerry Wood. Baker has been in the NL almost his entire baseball career, so he clearly understands the NL style of play. He can discipline a locker room and has enough experience to overcome roster setbacks, so he should be the man to lead the Nats back into October.
