Bryce Harper

This winter, the Washington Nationals set themselves up to mow down any team that stands in the way of a World Series title, but now it's time for the Nats to put their $156 million where their mouth is. 

That number is Washington's total payroll obligation in 2015, according to Baseball Prospectus.

The Washington Nationals checked off all of their boxes this offseason—fortifying the infield and amplifying the rotation—and now, with spring training upon us, we get our first look at the double take-inducing product the Nats will send out this summer.

Every season features countless players who enjoy an uptick in power and hit more home runs than they did the previous year.

The improvement can be extreme in some cases, such as when Jose Bautista went from 13 home runs in 2009 to 54 the following year. However, a majority of the time it’s more subtle, with players adding anywhere from five to 15 home runs compared to the previous year.

But which players are poised to hit for more power in 2015?

You're a fan without a nation. 

The 2014 MLB Playoff field is set, and while you mourn your beloved New York Yankees from your home probably nowhere near New York, you need a surrogate team. Well, the Washington Nationals bandwagon is accepting applications, and no other franchise makes a better case for your temporary affection. 

The critics have always been there, picking, prodding, scoffing.

Bryce Harper is making progress. Nationals fans should be paying attention to Josh Hamilton, who's had a relatively simple return from his similar thumb surgery. Hamilton has made it through this process normally and not much is ever normal for Hamilton.

On Tuesday, it will be 11 months to the day since Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper uttered his famous "That's a clown question, bro" response to a reporter during a game in Toronto. The response ultimately turned into a pop-culture reference, as well as a line of Under Armour T-shirts. Almost a year later, the 21-year-old is still willing to laugh about it.

The Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper underwent thumb surgery today and is expected to be out until July. But that didn't stop him from having a great hair day. Just check out his post-surgery tweet: 

Bryce Harper and the Washington Nationals came into the 2014 season showered with predictions of October glory.

Updates from Saturday, April 26

The Nationals' Twitter feed reports that Harper is out for today's game:

Dan Kolko of MASN has more on the outfielder's injury:

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports that the outfielder will undergo an MRI on his thumb:

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