Slumping Nationals Appear Disrespected by Latest MLB Power Rankings

The Washington Nationals are 3-6 to begin the season. It is not the best start to the year, but it is an expected one.

The Nationals enter the new week with some momentum, though. They are coming off a weekend series win over a pretty good Arizona Diamondbacks team after getting swept by the Toronto Blue Jays to begin the week.

MLB.com put out their weekly power rankings on Monday, and Washington sits near the bottom at 28th.

However, that ranking seems a bit harsh. Despite their slow start, the Nationals are not one of the worst teams in baseball.

Washington's young talent is evident. James Wood, Dylan Crews, Jacob Young, CJ Abrams and Keibert Ruiz are all good players.

The problem right now is that a few of those youngsters are struggling to start the year.

Crews is 3-for-29 to begin his first full season at the Major League level. He does not have any extra-base hits and has struck out 13 times in eight games played. Additionally, he's only walked one time.

Young has been just as bad, going 1-for-15 through seven games played. The speedster has yet to showcase what he can do on the bases and is struggling to square anything up, posting an average exit velocity of just 82.3 mph.

Wood, Abrams and Ruiz, on the other hand, have combined to collect 25 hits in 96 at-bats. That includes six home runs and 12 runs scored.

Some of the veterans have to start pulling their weight, as well.

Josh Bell was brought back in the offseason, but he is not having the success he has shown in the past. Bell is slashing .133/.278/.300 with just one home run through 30 at-bats. The veteran switch-hitter will have to turn it around going forward.

The pitching staff has been up-and-down.

MacKenzie Gore and Mitchell Parker have both made two solid starts this year, while closer Kyle Finnegan looks poised to make another All-Star team.

The other three pitchers that have started a game for the Nationals have combined to throw 25 innings while striking out just 17 batters, logging a cumulative ERA of 5.76.

The bullpen has the third-highest ERA in the MLB, second-highest WHIP, second-most walks issued and the fewest strikeouts. Not being able to shut teams down late in games is a big reason for the 3-6 start.

Even with all of their struggles, the Nationals are not the third-worst team in baseball. Crews and Young should figure it out eventually and Bell shouldn't be this bad all season. The pitching staff is going to remain a question mark, though.

Washington is not a playoff team, but it should finish higher than 28th on the MLB power rankings.