While the 2012 and 2014 Washington Nationals followed up on NL East division titles with disappointing seasons in 2013 and 2015, under Davey Johnson and Matt Williams, respectively, it didn’t seem to concern GM Mike Rizzo or the current manager, Dusty Baker, when each was asked what they needed to do to avoid having the same thing happen in 2017.
Baker, in the first year of his two-year deal with the Nationals, led the team to a 95-win season, but another NLDS loss, failing to advance past the Division Series.
He told reporters last month, however, that he didn’t worry about his team coming out flat in his second season in D.