For the Washington Nationals, this season began with World Series expectations, a golf-chipping contest and a group of live camels brought into spring training by a rookie manager looking to poke a little fun at the team’s angst about “getting over the hump” in the playoffs.
As it turned out, the worries about coming up short in the postseason were misplaced.
Once dependable hitters went cold, a starting rotation collapsed and injured stars went missing for weeks. Instead of competing for a title, the Nationals missed the playoffs entirely and barely finished above .500.
It was a stunning fall for a team that had won the National League East by a combined 28 games the previous two seasons.