A look back at Frandsen's first season in D.C.

It might be easy to forget now, almost a month removed from the Nationals' season coming to an end, but back in late April and into May, Kevin Frandsen was essentially an everyday player for the club, filling in at left field, third base, second base and first base, as needed.

Signed by the Nationals to a one-year, $900,000 deal toward the end of spring training after he was granted his release by the Phillies, Frandsen was expected to serve as a bat off Matt Williams' bench, a veteran with lots of experience against National League pitching who could deliver a key pinch-hit when called upon.

And that's the role that Frandsen eventually settled into. But in the early stages of the season, the now 32-year-old was needed as more than just a late-inning bench option.

Injuries to Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman forced Williams to get creative with how he wrote out his lineups and shuffled his players into game action. And often, that left Frandsen getting a start.

He filled in for Zimmerman at third base, making 12 starts there. Frandsen slid over to play first base, where he got nine starts. He played second base on occasion, as well, getting nine starts at that spot.

And then there was his time in left, where Frandsen made 15 starts, this at a position where he had only seen action in 11 games previously in his big league career.

Again, it's easy to forget in November, but Frandsen played a crucial role early on in the season, seeing significant action at different positions and rarely making a miscue at any of them.

Through April, he had a .289 average and .714 OPS, and while his offensive numbers dipped as the season progressed, he remained productive off the bench in the later months, becoming Williams' top pinch-hitting option from the right side until Zimmerman moved into a bench role.

Frandsen had 11 pinch-hits on the season, more than double that of any other teammate and tied for 10th-most in the National League.

It's a bit uncertain how the Nationals' bench roles will sort out in 2015, with Scott Hairston and Nate Schierholtz now free agents, but Frandsen is still under contractual control for one more year through arbitration.

He'll get a raise this offseason, likely giving him a 2015 salary between $1-$1.5 million, which is certainly a fair price for an experienced bench option who can play three infield positions, slot into the outfield when needed and also serve as the Nats' emergency catcher.

Frandsen's final 2014 offensive numbers (.259/.299/.309, one home run, 17 RBIs) won't win him any awards, but he played an important role for the Nats this season. Frandsen worked hard, was always ready when called upon in any number of roles, and the team will gladly welcome him back in 2015.