2013 player projections: Offense

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Several projections show a drop-off in production from Ian Desmond this year.

Since the calendar has officially turned over and we're trying to stop looking back and start looking forward with more regularity, this seems like a good time to take a gander at a couple of stat projections for the 2013 Nationals.

Two of the more noteworthy folks who produce annual projections are Bill James (the grandfather of sabermetrics) and Dan Szymborski (who created the ZiPS projections that are now featured on Fangraphs.com). Both utilize a player's performance over several past seasons, plus historical trends, to project how his numbers will look the following season.

They're by no means perfect -- last winter, James projected Ian Desmond to hit .268 with a .394 slugging percentage; he wound up hitting .292 and slugging .511 -- but they're a fun baseline to begin imagining how certain players will face in the upcoming season.

So let's take a look at what James and Szymborski say about

Where the Nats' rank by unit

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Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez anchor one of the best rotations in baseball.

ESPN's Buster Olney has been issuing top-10 lists the last few days, ranking what he believes are the best rotations, infields and outfields in baseball. (Note: You'll need an ESPN Insider subscription to read the full article.)

And it should come as no surprise the Nationals are prominently featured in those rankings.

Olney has both the Nats' rotation and outfield as the second-best units in the majors, behind only the Tigers and Angels, respectively. He currently has the Nats' infield ranking eighth, though he points out he'd bump them to the top-5 if they ultimately re-sign Adam LaRoche.

It's tough to dispute Olney's take on the Nationals' rotation. What was already one of the best -- if not the best -- quintet last season should be even better this season, with Stephen Strasburg free to pitch into October, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann and Ross

New Year's resolutions

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Davey Johnson resolves to end his managerial career in style.

And so we can finally stop talking about 2012 and turn our attention to a new year that has the promise of being far more significant than any previous year in Nationals history.

With that in mind, I've once again managed to get my hands on several members of the Nationals' New Year's resolutions. (Don't ask how I pulled that off. A reporter never reveals his secrets.)

You may, however, get a kick out of reading last year's resolutions, a couple of which really did come to fruition (see, in particular, Charlie Slowes, Teddy Roosevelt and Nats fans as a whole). The one resolution that clearly wasn't met was my own, as evidenced merely by the topic of today's post.

OK, here we go with the Nationals' 2013 resolutions...

STEPHEN STRASBURG: Be on a big-league mound, with ball in hand, come October.

DREW STOREN: Be on a big-league mound, with ball in hand, come October, with two strikes and two outs in a potential

Most significant moment: The end

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Drew Storen and the rest of the Nats dugout were in shock as Game 5 ended.

As we count down the final days of 2012, we've also been counting down the Nationals' five most significant moments of the year. It all culminates today with the most significant moment: The late collapse against the Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLDS, abruptly and painfully ending the season. Do you agree or disagree? Rank your five moments in order of significance in the top right corner of the screen...

OK, it's probably the last local sporting event anyone wants to re-live on the morning after an especially memorable event by another local sports franchise -- by the way, who would've guessed that the least surprising D.C. division champion in 2012 would be the Nationals? -- but bear with me here as I attempt to spin the most devastating loss of the year into a potentially positive development moving forward.

You already know how Game 5 of the National League Division Series played out. How the home team stormed out to an early 6-0 lead that left Nationals Park bouncing and shaking with anticipation of a celebration at night's end. Then how Gio Gonzalez labored to

Most significant moments: The walk-off

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Jayson Werth's walk-off homer kept the Nats' season alive for another day.

As we count down the final days of 2012, we're also counting down the Nationals' five most significant moments of the year. It all culminates tomorrow with your vote for the most significant moment of 2012. But before we get to that, today we focus on Moment No. 2: Jayson Werth's walk-off homer in Game 4 of the NLDS...

It was, unquestionably, the high point of a remarkable season. Not to mention the high point in the Nationals' eight-year history. Really, the high point for Washington baseball in nearly eight decades.

When Jayson Werth battled his way through an epic, 13-pitch at-bat against the Cardinals' Lance Lynn to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4 of the National League Division Series, finally belting Lynn's 13th pitch into the left-field bleachers, D.C. baseball fans got to experience something they likely never had before: Pure, unadulterated joy at the ballpark.

It was the kind of moment every kid dreams of, rounding the bases to the roar of 45,000 fans, the opposing team trudging off the field in disgust, a throng of teammates forming a semi-circle around the