It’s been a long time coming, but at last, all of the pieces appear to finally be in place for the Washington Nationals. Not since the days as the Montreal Expos has the franchise competed in the postseason and even more astounding is how long it has been since Washington, D.C., hosted an MLB playoff game (79 years to be exact).

While obviously the entire squad has helped contribute to the success, two players in particular have undoubtedly played a major role in the upsurge. Bryce Harper has remained one of the team leaders in most offensive categories, while Stephen Strasburg finished his first full MLB season with a 15-6 record.

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Baseball fans in the Washington D.C. area will be racing to buy 2012 Nationals tickets with phenom pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg fully healed from his Tommy John surgery. The 23-year-old made five appearances at the tail end of last season, giving up only 4 earned runs in 24 innings of work. Strasburg will be returning to a team that is ready for big things. The pitching staff had the best overall ERA in the majors last year even without their young ace in the rotation for in the lineup. Michael Morse had the best season of his career last year at first base, eclipsing his career RBI single season totals by an astounding 54 runs. The Nats will be counting on players like Morse, Jayson Werth, and Ryan Zimmerman to give Strasburgh and the rest of rotation the run support they need to contend for the postseason.

The Washington Nationals were one of the biggest draws in baseball last season as their phenom rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg wowed MLB fans across the country. Unfortunately Strasburg hit a roadblock last August, tearing his ulnar collateral ligament. Although it's a long shot the Nats will have their young ace back pitching this season, the team has been proactive in the offseason. Washington made waves in free agency, signing Jayson Werth to a seven-year, $126 million contract. The former Philadelphia Phillies right fielder should strengthen the Nationals’ play at the plate and in the outfield. Werth will slot in nicely into Washington’s batting order that already features big swinging third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and first basemen Adam LaRoche. The media in the nation’s capital has also been swirling around #1 draft pick Bryce Harper – who became a YouTube sensation as a 16 year old. It remains unclear if Washington sports fans who buy 2011 Nationals tickets will get to see the highly-touted Harper in the majors this season, but they should be excited nonetheless for his future with the ballclub.