Thanks to everyone who read and commented on the first installment of our 20 Greatest Players in Nationals History series. If you missed it, click this link to find out who checked in at Nos. 16-20 before proceeding with this week’s piece featuring Nos. 11-15.
Reminder: This is a purely subjective exercise. Stats were considered, of course, but greatness is about more than stats. It’s about impact, both on and off the field. It’s about significance to the franchise during its two decades in D.C. And on some instinctual level, it’s just about the players that you think most fondly of when you consider the last 20 years of Nats baseball.
We’ll continue the series each Sunday through the rest of the month, culminating with the Top 5 on Dec. 29 …
NO. 15 – LIVÁN HERNÁNDEZ
Starting pitcher, 2005-2006, 2009-11
Stats: 44-47, 4.32 ERA, 129 GS, 828.2 IP, 915 H, 430 R, 398 ER, 82 HR, 262 BB, 476 SO, 94 ERA+, 1.420 WHIP, 7.7 bWAR, 10.2 fWAR
Perhaps no player better epitomizes the early years of the Nationals than the man who threw the first pitch in club history. Hernández already had enjoyed a notable career before coming here, winning National League Championship and World Series MVP honors as a rookie for the Marlins in 1997, then again pitching in the World Series for the Giants in 2002. He was traded to the Expos in 2003 and established himself as the workhorse ace of that staff by the time he joined them in relocating to Washington.
Hernández was the obvious choice to start Opening Day 2005 in Philadelphia, then again 10 days later in the historic home opener at RFK Stadium. And he dominated that night against the Diamondbacks, carrying a one-hit shutout into the ninth before serving up a three-run homer to Chad Tracy. It was the first of many such performances that season; Livo made 35 starts and totaled a league-leading 246 1/3 innings. He totaled at least 120 pitches in 15 of those starts, topping 130 pitches five times and incredibly throwing 150 pitches in a June complete game against the Marlins. He, along with Chad Cordero, was selected to represent the Nats as their first All-Stars.
Hernández’s performance lagged in 2006, and general manager Jim Bowden wound up trading him in August to Arizona for Matt Chico and Garrett Mock. But his D.C. tenure was far from over. Bowden successor Mike Rizzo brought him back during the 2009 season, then re-signed him in both 2010 (when he went 10-12 with a 3.66 ERA) and again in 2011.
All told, Hernández ranks eighth in Nats history in starts, seventh in innings pitched and, of course, first in pitches thrown per start (102). He’s also unofficially first in bringing smiles to everyone’s face just by the mere mention of his name.
NO. 14 – WILSON RAMOS
Catcher, 2010-16
Stats: 578 G, 2276 PA, 2109 AB, 222 R, 566 H, 90 2B, 1 3B, 83 HR, 320 RBI, 0 SB, 3 CS, 140 BB, 383 SO, .268 AVG, .313 OBP, .430 SLG, .743 OPS, 99 OPS+, 10.5 bWAR, 11.8 fWAR
What’s the best trade in Nationals history? It might just have come July 29, 2010, when Rizzo sent All-Star closer Matt Capps (two months away from free agency) to the Twins for a catching prospect who was stuck behind Joe Mauer. Nobody in Washington was going to block Ramos, who by 2011 became the team’s No. 1 catcher and continued to hold that job until he became a free agent following the 2016 season.
There were plenty of bumps, bruises and worse along the way. He twice tore his ACL, forcing him to miss both the 2012 and 2016 postseasons. He shockingly was kidnapped outside his home in Venezuela during the 2011 offseason, then rescued unharmed in a dramatic maneuver by authorities to cap off a dramatic few days. Through it all, he remained positive and optimistic, and that surely translated on the field.
Ramos was always more of an offensive catcher than a defensive one, but his bat was legit. It all culminated in 2016, when “The Buffalo” totaled 25 doubles, 22 homers, 80 RBIs and a .307/.354/.496 slash line to earn an All-Star selection, the Silver Slugger Award and MVP votes. He departed as a free agent after that season but was warmly welcomed back to Nationals Park at the 2018 All-Star Game, with fans chanting “Willll-son!” one last time when he was introduced.
NO. 13 – TANNER ROARK
Starting pitcher, 2013-18
Stats: 64-54, 3.59 ERA, 182 G, 141 GS, 1 SV, 935 IP, 867 H, 397 R, 373 ER, 98 HR, 263 BB, 732 SO, 115 ERA+, 1.209 WHIP, 16.3 bWAR, 12.7 fWAR
The list of great pitchers in Nationals history includes some big-time names known throughout baseball. It should also include this lesser-known name who, despite his unassuming veneer, was an absolute bulldog for the team during some of its best years.
Acquired from the Rangers for the final six weeks of Cristian Guzman in another Rizzo masterclass, Roark initially was viewed as nothing more than a long reliever. But the door opened for a rotation job in 2014, and the right-hander ran with it, going 15-10 with a 2.85 ERA and 1.092 WHIP over 198 2/3 innings.
In spite of that performance, Roark was bumped to the bullpen in 2015 when the Nats signed another pitcher named Max Scherzer. He didn’t perform as well, but when he was moved back to the rotation in 2016, he thrived again, going 16-10 with a 2.83 ERA over 210 innings, earning Cy Young Award votes and a spot on Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
Roark was less effective the next two seasons, was notably left unused during the 2017 National League Division Series against the Cubs, led the league with 15 losses in 2018 and then was traded to the Reds that offseason for reliever Tanner Rainey. He lasted three more seasons in the majors, never coming close to duplicating his efforts from his six seasons in D.C. No, he was never the ace of his staff. But he was a darn good pitcher when given the chance to take the mound, and he actually ranks 11th all-time in WAR among all Nationals players.
NO. 12 – NICK JOHNSON
First baseman, 2005-09
Stats: 414 G, 1746 PA, 1415 AB, 228 R, 404 H, 105 2B, 5 3B, 49 HR, 215 RBI, 15 SB, 13 CS, 286 BB, 277 SO, .286 AVG, .416 OBP, .471 SLG, .886 OPS, 135 OPS+, 10.9 bWAR, 10.9 fWAR
You can probably correctly name the player with the highest career on-base percentage in Nationals history (minimum 1,000 plate appearances). (Hint: He just signed a $765 million contract with the Mets.) Can you name No. 2 on that list, the only other player with an OBP over .400 as a National? Yeah, it’s this criminally underrated player from the early years.
Like Hernández, Johnson relocated with the Expos to Washington, making him one of the better-known names on that inaugural roster. And during those first two seasons, he was as rock solid as they get, a smooth-fielding first baseman with a great eye at the plate and prodigious power to the gaps. Johnson’s 2006 numbers (100 runs, 46 doubles, 23 doubles, 77 RBIs, 110 walks, a .290/.428/.520 slash line would’ve easily made him team MVP if not for his fellow former Yankee who joined the 40-40 Club that same year.
But that 2006 season ended in disaster for Johnson, who in late September collided with Austin Kearns trying to catch a fly ball behind first base and broke his right femur, probably the ugliest injury in Nats history. He missed the entire 2007 season while recovering, and though he returned in 2008-09, he just wasn’t the same player anymore.
It’s one of the great “what if?” stories in club history, though. If he had been able to avoid that catastrophic injury (plus several other lesser ones that hampered him along the way), Johnson might well have been one of the 10 best players in club history. Even so, he’s worthy of a spot just outside that exclusive club.
NO. 11 – JAYSON WERTH
Outfielder, 2011-17
Stats: 808 G, 3427 PA, 2965 AB, 450 R, 781 H, 162 2B, 7 3B, 109 HR, 393 RBI, 55 SB, 12 CS, 403 BB, 723 SO, .263 AVG, .355 OBP, .433 SLG, .788 OPS, 113 OPS+, 9.0 bWAR, 14.0 fWAR
As long as the Nationals exist as a franchise, the debate over Werth’s true value to the organization will live on. Was he worth the $126 million he was given in December 2010, a deal that shocked the baseball world? The stats will say he probably wasn’t. Those who were there for his seven seasons in D.C. will tell you he absolutely was, because of what he meant to the team during that specific era.
The clubhouse Werth entered in 2011 knew nothing about winning. He did, having helped lead the Phillies to the World Series in both 2008 and 2009, then the playoffs again in 2010. He was tasked not only with producing on the field but exerting his influence on a young roster, and he took that task seriously. Maybe more seriously than he took his playing performance.
Werth’s first season in town didn’t go well, and maybe he did get a little too caught up in his leadership role than in just going out there and playing well. He came back strong in 2012, though, a season that saw him miss three months with a broken wrist. When he returned, he took over the leadoff spot in Davey Johnson’s lineup and excelled there, never more so than during his epic, 13-pitch at-bat in Game 4 of the NLDS, culminating in a walk-off, game-winning, season-saving home run that stood as the No. 1 singular moment in club history until October 2019.
Werth’s best days, though, were still to come. He slashed a combined .304/.396/.491 with an average of 31 doubles, 21 homers and 82 RBIs in 2013-14, earning MVP votes each year. Then age and injuries started catching up with him, leaving his final three seasons in town with something to be desired.
So, what does all of that ultimately make Werth’s legacy? Was he one of the very best players in team history? No. But he did produce over a considerable portion of his time here, including one gargantuan moment. And he most certainly left his imprint on the franchise, for the better.