Nationals get five All-Stars, club record three starters

ST. LOUIS - There was a time, not all that long ago, when the thought of the Nationals having three players voted into the starting lineup of the All-Star Game was laughable.

Even when they had talented players, the Nationals never had the kind of fan base in D.C. or the overall recognition of baseball fans around the world to merit the kind of overwhelming support needed to win All-Star voting.

So pause for a moment right now and appreciate this fact: Three members (at least) of the National League's starting lineup in next week's Midsummer Classic will be wearing curly W caps.

Yes, Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy and Ryan Zimmerman all were voted starters at their respective positions by fans. And they'll be joined in Miami by Max Scherzer (who could be selected as the NL's starting pitcher) and Stephen Strasburg, matching the club's record with five All-Star representatives.

Yes, the Nationals will have three starters in the All-Star Game. Not the Cubs. Not the Dodgers. Not the Cardinals. Not the Giants.

"D.C. had baseball a long time ago, but I think the fan base had to sort of relearn, kind of become familiar with the organization," said Zimmerman, who has experienced the full arc of growth as the club's first-ever draft pick in 2005. "I think having three guys start, especially getting voted in over some pretty big fan bases ... obviously the Cubs is one of the biggest, if not the biggest fan base you can have. So I can't say enough about our fans and the support that they've given us. It's an honor to be thought of that way."

With five All-Star selections at the moment, the Nationals match the club record they established last year. But there's still an opportunity to break that record. Anthony Rendon is one of the five players included in this year's "Final Vote" and could wind up in Miami. So could Gio Gonzalez, who was not included on the NL's initial roster but would be a prime candidate to replace another pitcher who either pulls out because of injury or becomes ineligible by pitching next Sunday's first-half finale.

"I definitely think it's a team honor," Murphy said. "We've played really well this year, and to have this many representatives, I think, is a reflection on how good our ballclub is."

This is Harper's fifth All-Star selection in six big league seasons, the fourth time he has been voted a starting outfielder by fans. And there was never a doubt about this one: Harper was the NL's leading vote-getter when the first round of balloting was released one month ago, and he remained atop the list throughout the process, finishing with 4,630,306 votes. He'll be joined in the starting outfield by the Rockies' Charlie Blackmon and the Marlins' Marcell Ozuna.

Though he's still a bit shy of his MVP production rates from 2015, Harper nonetheless is having an MVP-caliber season. He completed the first 81 games of 2017 with a .313 batting average, 18 homers, 58 RBIs, a .422 on-base percentage and .997 OPS.

"I'm definitely humbled by fans, the way they treat me and the way they go about it," said Harper, who confirmed he again won't participate in the Home Run Derby. "To vote for me, I can't thank them enough. Without them, I wouldn't be in it. I'm definitely humbled and blessed by that."

This will be Murphy's third career trip to the Midsummer Classic but his first as a starter, underscoring the appreciation fans around baseball now have for a second baseman who has elevated his game to new heights in the last two calendar years.

Murphy, who received 3,925,418 votes to beat out the Cubs' Javier Báez by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, also has thrust himself into the early season MVP conversation with a .334 batting average, 14 homers, 55 RBIs, .387 on-base percentage and .956 OPS.

"Oh, it's humbling," the 32-year-old said. "You know, it's really the best way I can describe it. I didn't think that many people knew my name. So it's quite humbling."

There are few stories this summer more heartwarming than the one authored by Zimmerman, who eight years removed from his only previous All-Star selection returns as a completely resurrected player. A Gold Glove third baseman and designated face of a woebegone franchise back in 2009, he has since endured through a spate of injuries that necessitated a move across the diamond to first base, not to mention a drop-off in production that hit its low point last year when his .642 OPS ranked 196th out of 203 major leaguers with at least 400 plate appearances.

Out of those ashes, Zimmerman has risen this season to become one of the majors' most productive offensive players. Even with a recent slump in which he has hit .206 with zero homers in 16 games, he reached the halfway point of the season ranking among the league leaders in batting average (.335), homers (19), RBIs (62) and OPS (.994).

"Sports are funny, man," Zimmerman said. "I mean, to go through the injuries and different position, completely different spot in life ... it's fun to think about what's happened since then and what I've gone through and what the organization has gone through, as well. Yeah, it's just a crazy path to get back. But it's also pretty cool."

Engaged in a tight race with Anthony Rizzo over the last month, Zimmerman wound up narrowly edging out the Cubs first baseman by a final tally of 2,103,142 to 2,061,078. The Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt (1,717,731) finished third and the Reds' Joey Votto (1,025,769) finished fourth at the deepest position in baseball.

"He's getting the recognition he deserves for the kind of season he's putting together right now," Murphy said of Zimmerman. "It's been special to watch. ... Well-deserved honor to be able to start at first base in a crowded position."

Scherzer is a regular at these festivities, selected for the fifth consecutive year. And he may find himself named his league's starting pitcher for the second time, duplicating the honor bestowed on him in 2013 when he still played for the Tigers.

Owner of a 9-5 record but league-leading 2.06 ERA, 0.783 WHIP and 151 strikeouts entering his start tonight against the Cardinals, Scherzer has a strong case to earn the starting nod, with Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw (12-2, 2.32 ERA) the other obvious candidate for NL manager Joe Maddon to consider. (Kershaw, at the moment, is lined up to start for Los Angeles next Sunday, which would make him ineligible to pitch in Miami two days later.)

"It's one of the highest honors you can get within this game," Scherzer said. "It's hard enough to be a major leaguer; there's only 750 of us, and then there's only going to be 64 players named. Really only a handful of starting pitchers from each league get named to the All-Star Game. That means a lot when your name gets called. I appreciate it every single time."

This is Strasburg's third All-Star selection, though he sat out last summer's game in his hometown of San Diego due to an upper back injury that had sidelined him a few weeks earlier. He should be good to go this time in Miami, owner of a 9-2 record, 3.51 ERA and 122 strikeouts.

There was plenty of support within the Nationals clubhouse for Gonzalez to join the group and earn a sentimental trip home to Miami while being honored for his efforts so far during an impressive comeback season. The left-hander has been an All-Star twice before (2011 with the Athletics, 2012 with the Nationals) but this one would have meant more on the heels of a disappointing 2016 in which his ERA ballooned to 4.57.

Gonzalez has consistently been effective this season, going 7-3 with a 2.77 ERA and proving himself as the majors' most-effective starter pitching out of jams. But his only hope of making it now will be as a potential substitution for a previously selected pitcher.

Rendon, too, had plenty of support among teammates who recognize his overall value at the plate and in the field. (He currently ranks third in the league in WAR, trailing only Paul Goldschmidt and Joey Votto.)

The third baseman, though, is left to duke it out in the "Final Vote" for the second time in his career, pitted against The Cubs' Kris Bryant, the Marlins' Justin Bour, the Rockies' Mark Reynolds and the Dodgers' Justin Turner, with the winner to be announced Thursday.

Rendon previously was in the "Final Vote" in 2014, when he finished a distant fourth out of five candidates. The Nationals have never had a "Final Vote" winner in six prior attempts: 2009 (Cristian Guzman), 2010 (Zimmerman), 2011 (Michael Morse), 2012 (Harper), 2013 (Ian Desmond) and 2014 (Rendon).