When it comes to the Washington Nationals chances of winning the World Series in 2015, outfielder Bryce Harper has just three words: "Where's my ring?"
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Despite coming off their second disappointing postseason run in the last three years, Harper believes the addition of free agent Max Scherzer to an already stacked rotation flanked by Stephen Strasburg has put the Nationals' Fall Classic hopes at an all-time high.
"To be able to have a guy like Scherzer coming, I started laughing," Harper told MLB.com. "I was like, 'Where's my ring?' It's absolutely stupid how good our staff is. To add a Cy Young, to add a guy that is unbelievable in the postseason. If you have to go to a five-game set, you have to face [Jordan] Zimmermann, [Doug] Fister, Scherzer and [Strasburg]. Good luck. That's insane. ... It's hilarious having to go there and face them. It's absolutely stupid. We have the best staff in all of baseball. I don't care what anybody says."
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Harper, a two-time All-Star, hasn't been able to play a full season since the 2012 campaign when he won NL Rookie of the Year due to various injuries, but he's hopeful to stay on the diamond this season.
Washington has been solid in the regular season, posting three consecutive winning seasons and clinching the NL East in 2012 and 2014, but it's the postseason that has given the team hiccups.
With a healthy Harper in the lineup, the team may not have to place all of the emphasis on pitching.
"He looks great," manager Matt Williams said. "He reported today. He looked in great shape. His swing is there. I threw him batting practice today, and we almost had to get a bucket of balls."
The Nationals finished with an impressive 98-64 record in 2012 before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in the opening round of the playoffs in five games.
After going 86-76 and missing the playoffs in 2013, Washington had another impressive season in 2014, going 96-66 and winning the NL East for the second time in three campaigns.
The team once again had a letdown in October, losing to the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants in the NLDS in four games, once again failing to advance out of Round 1 despite home field advantage.
Harper, 22, who hit .273 with 13 homers and 32 RBI in 100 games last season and then .294 in the NLDS, said his goal is to bring a World Series title to the nation's capital and it starts with a solid effort in 2015.
"Five years ago, when I first signed here, I [wanted] to bring back a title to D.C. no matter what. I'm getting chills thinking about it," Harper said. "I absolutely want to do that for this city. I don't care how long it takes, I'm going to do what I need to do to help this organization. ... I'm excited to get going this year and do the things I need to do to bring a title back to D.C. and place that trophy over monuments."
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