Multiple Nationals are staking claims for major NL awards

As the Nationals take aim at winning the National League East, they've got a chance at a repeat winner for NL MVP. And it is possible they could be the 19th team in baseball history to have teammates win the Cy Young and MVP awards in the same season.

Could it be Daniel Murphy following Bryce Harper as the NL MVP, with either pitcher Stephen Strasburg or Max Scherzer winning the Cy Young? How about Wilson Ramos combining with either Strasburg or Scherzer?

Any of those combinations are likely.

The Milwaukee Braves in 1957 were the first team to have teammates win the awards when Henry Aaron (.322-44-132) won the NL MVP and pitcher Warren Spahn (21-11, 2.69 ERA) the Cy Young. The last time teammates won both was 2006, when Minnesota's Justin Morneau (.321-34-130) was the AL MVP and Johan Santana (19-6, 2.77 ERA) the Cy Young winner.

In 1990, teammates won the awards in both leagues.

The Pittsburgh Pirates' Barry Bonds won the NL MVP hitting .301-33-114 with a .406 on-base percentage while Pirates pitcher Doug Drabek was the Cy Young winner at 22-6 with a 2.76 ERA. In the American League, Oakland's Rickey Henderson was the MVP with a .325 average, .429 on-base, 65 steals and 28 home runs. The A's Bob Welch won the Cy Young with a 2.95 ERA and 27-6 record.

At this point, Murphy might be the favorite for the NL MVP in voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, but Ramos is difficult to ignore. (Voters are assigned in September and ballots are due before the final out of the regular season.)

Murphy, who played for the New York Mets last season and was the Nationals' third choice to play second base after deals for Ben Zobrist and Brandon Phillips didn't work out, has been Washington's most consistent hitter.

Going into this week, Murphy has set a career-high in home runs with 22, and while he's a second baseman, he's been playing first base in place of the injured Ryan Zimmerman. Murphy has the NL's top average, .348. His on-base percentage is .387. He's a machine when it comes to clutch and multi-hit games.

But Ramos has had his own brand of consistent hitting and he's right behind Murphy in the race for the league's highest average, .332. His on-base percentage is .379. And Ramos leads NL catchers in average, on-base percentage, home runs (18), slugging (.541) and RBIs (65). Interesting note: Ramos started in the Twins' organization, playing behind catcher Joe Mauer, who has won three AL batting titles and an MVP.

Throw in Ramos' strong defense - he nails 29 percent of potential base stealers - and it is fair to say that his all-around play is to the Nationals what catcher Yadier Molina is to St. Louis and Buster Posey is to San Francisco.

There are candidates from other teams: Colorado's Nolan Arenado is a strong defender with 30-plus home runs while leading the league in RBIs, but players on teams out of contention have difficulty winning. Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant are the Cubs' top bats, and Corey Seager is the same for the Dodgers.

Scherzer and Strasburg each have Cy Young-type statistics.

Strasburg is 15-3 with a 3.01 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP and 176 strikeouts. Scherzer is 12-7 with a 2.80 ERA and 0.91 WHIP and 208 strikeouts.

Scherzer has a 20-strikeout game and Strasburg didn't lose a game until July 21.

And there's competition around the league, too. San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner will be considered because of his stingy secondary stats. The Cubs' Kyle Hendricks is making a second-half push and his teammate, Jake Arrieta, will get some votes. The Marlins' Jose Fernandez has also pitched well.

But there's no sure-fire winner and that's why the debate will focus on Strasburg and Scherzer, who won the AL Cy Young for the Detroit Tigers in 2013.

With Colorado's Trevor Story and the Dodgers' Seager, the Nationals' rookie Trea Turner has little chance of winning the NL's Rookie of the Year. But if the Nationals win the NL East, Dusty Baker will be a candidate for Manager of the Year.

No team has ever swept the four BBWAA awards. If the Nationals win three of four, they'll be the 14th team in history to do so. The Cubs did it last season and the Seattle Mariners in 2001.

And while the Nationals are hoping for a World Series championship, that's not a bad piece of history for the Nationals to have.