This is the worst Nationals team ever. It's a shame they put in a draft lottery, thankfully the 2023 draft appears pretty loaded.
I think you are right about this team. When you think about the Dunn / Willingham years, at least the big booming bats could hit.
Most losses were 2009 (103), so let's compare:
C - Josh Bard / Will Nieves. I think Jesus Flores may have been #1 but was hurt and only played 29 games?
1B - Nick Johnson, with some Adam Dunn. Nick managed 424 PAs that year, with a .295 / .408 / .402 slash line. Bad power year for him.
2d - Anderson Hernandez / Alberto Gonzalez, with some time from Ronnie Belliard before he was dealt to the Dodgers.
SS - Cristian Guzman, who yielded eventually to Ian Desmond after Guzman was traded to the Rangers.
3rd - Face of the Franchise - .888 OPS and great defense
LF - Willingham and Dunn. Willingham started 33 games in right that year.
CF - you don't want to know. Willie Harris, Lastings Milledge (briefly), Nyjer Morgan, Justin Maxwell, Elijah Dukes.
RF - Dukes did the most time
Rotation - Lannan had 33 starts, no other pitcher had more than 20. Stammen, JZ, Garrett Mock, Shairon Martis, JD Martin, Ross Detwiler, and Scott Olsen all got 10-19 starts. In fairness, Stammen, JZ, and Detwiler had long major league careers, and certainly Stammen and JZ had years of high end performance.
I'll say Ruiz > 2009 catchers, I think Bell will have a better year than Nick & Dunn, and Soto is the best OF. OTOH, young Zim was clearly the 2nd best player on the combined rosters. Yadi may end up pushing Willingham and Dunn in left. Guzman had a good year, and young Desi showed stuff, so there's no question 09 > 22 at SS. 2nd? Cesar, most likely, is better. CF is a CF for both, so call it a wash. So, C, RF, 1B, 2d clear for '22, 3rd and SS clear for '09, CF and maybe LF open / wash.
Rotation? Gray and pray for '22, but will depend on whether Stras and Ross are effective at all. Gray and young JZ are eerily parallel. I suspect I'll end up taking Craig Stammen's career over Erick Fedde. Lannan > Corbin. Rest looks like a wash?