MLB.com caught up with Zimmerman and talked about the Nationals, his leadership skills and his thirst to play in the postseason.

MLB.com: How shocking was it that the Nationals played poorly in 2008?

Ryan Zimmerman: We had high expectations. If you look at the team we had in Spring Training, obviously we thought we had a chance to be above .500 with a month or so left. I think the injuries hurt us a lot and I think a lot of us tried to play through injuries for some time. We didn't perform as much as we wanted to. It was a long year for a lot of us.

But looking at this positively, I think a lot of young guys got a chance to play. If everyone was healthy, they don't get to the big leagues. It could help us in the long run. Honestly, I think all of us are disappointed with the way last year went.

MLB.com: You were one of those players who went on the disabled list because of your left shoulder.

Zimmerman: The good thing is, we had a plan to rehab and not have surgery. That worked out well. Injuries happen to everyone. It was a learning experience -- a growing experience -- that I never had to deal with before. Watching the game from the sidelines kind of helped me learn a lot more than I knew before. Not that I would ever want to learn that way, but I think having to sit and watch let me notice some things.

MLB.com: By watching in the dugout, what was the biggest thing that you learned?

Zimmerman: Just watching the game. When you are in the game, a lot of times you might not be able to bat that particular inning. You might go back and look at the computer and see your last at-bat. You are really not paying attention to the other things going on. I had a chance to sit down and know what was going on around me. It's almost like the coaches look, I guess -- how other teams pitch to people. Little things like that I didn't notice when I'm playing.

MLB.com: What does this team have to do to get better?

Zimmerman: In this game nowadays, you maybe have to go out and get a few people or you can wait and have the No. 1 pick every year like Tampa Bay and be good in seven or eight years, which is what the team did. They did a great job developing talent, but I think we are a little bit ahead of that. We have a good core group of guys with me, Jesus Flores, Lastings Milledge, John Lannan, Joel Hanrahan and Shairon Martis. Cristian Guzman just re-signed. So we have a good core group. We could obviously use pitching.

Other than that, I think we could get tougher. Not that any of us on our team doesn't want to win, but that's part of the learning experience, too. Learn what it takes to win games, whether that's grounding out with nobody out to get a guy to third -- even if you are 0-for-3 in the game. It's a lot of stuff like that. I don't want to say young immature people, but immature baseball players have to learn.

MLB.com: During the month of September, you did something that was something of a surprise. You decided to publicly speak out on some of the things that went wrong. You thought the gestures Elijah Dukes made at Shea Stadium were wrong and you hinted about the team needing to spend money. You are only 23 years old. What made you decide to speak up, which you had never done before?

Zimmerman: Obviously, I'm a younger guy, but I think a lot of pressure is put on me to be the face of the franchise and be the leader. You know me. I'm not an angry person or anything like that. I think what we have in D.C. could be really special -- a brand new stadium, a city that loves sports. A lot of people would love to play there, but nobody is going to want to play there if we lose 80 to 100 games every year. That's just the way it is in sports now. It gets to the point where you get your six years in and then you get to write your own ticket. You want to go to a place like L.A, Philly or New York, which spends money every year and have a chance to make the playoffs. Every free agent wants to go to those places.

I'm not upset with ownership or anything like that. I'm just trying to say, I think we have a good thing that could really be fun here. We have a good, young core group of guys. It's not going to take that much for people to come here. Obviously, you have to pay money. It's easy for me to say because I'm not writing the checks. But that's the way baseball is. That's the way any sport is. You have to bring people in. You can't do everything from the bottom up, although I think your core group of your team should be from the bottom up. When you bring your free agents in, we can tell them how things go here and how it's going to be. They can fit right in. But you have to have talent in this game. No question.

MLB.com: Your childhood friends, Michael Cuddyer, Mark Reynolds, B.J. and Justin Upton, and David Wright have played in the postseason. Does it bother you that they had a chance to go to the World Series and you haven't?

Zimmerman: Yeah, it does. I'm happy for them, but would I rather be me in that situation? Yes. I'm sure if they were in my position, they would say the same thing. I think It's great for them. I talked to them about it. I've been talking to B.J. recently about how exciting it is with the World Series. That's what you dream about. It's the biggest stage and ultimately what you want to win. Individual stuff is nice, but everyone wants to win that ultimate goal, which is the championship as a team. I'm kind of jealous that they had a chance to do it. It makes me want to be there even more and do better than they did.

MLB.com: What is your reaction to B.J.'s performance in the postseason?

Zimmerman: He has been unbelievable. He has been bothered by the same kind of [shoulder] injury that I had, but his is more far along. I think he tore his a little bit more to where he is going to actually get it cleaned up right after the season. Whether it's baseball or we are out playing golf, he has done well. He thrives on the pressure and the spotlight. That's what you need when you are an athlete.

MLB.com: You are now arbitration-eligible for the first time. Are you close to signing a contract with the Nationals or will you be going to arbitration?

Zimmerman: I have no idea. I don't know if my agent has talked to [Jim Bowden] and those guys. I would doubt that we would go to arbitration. I don't see why we wouldn't be able to agree on something. I don't know what they think, but our side thinks it shouldn't be that tough to come to an agreement. We'll see what happens. The first three years is their time and, I guess, the next three years is my time. Ultimately, I would like to sign a deal and be in D.C. It's just going to be a matter of whether the time is right and all the figures are right or stuff like that. It's an exciting time for me and hopefully for the Nationals, too.