Desmond and Rendon getting noticed nationally

Nationals fans know what they have in Ian Desmond and Anthony Rendon.

They know that Desmond has won three straight Silver Slugger awards among National League shortstops, and in those three years, that he has hit 69 homers, driven in 244 runs and posted an impressive slash line of .275/.326/.462. He's also mixed in some speed with his power, stealing 66 bags over the last three seasons, joining elite company as one of the few shortstops in history to have three straight 20/20 seasons.

They are aware that Rendon finished fifth in the NL Most Valuable Player voting this season after hitting 21 homers, scoring 111 runs, driving in 83, and hitting .287/.351/.473. Perhaps even more impressive than the numbers, however, is that Rendon has been able to have so much success at such a young age. He just finished his first full big league season and turned 24 in June.

Those who watch Desmond and Rendon play on a consistent basis know what those two bring to the table. But sometimes, you're not sure whether those outside the area are able to see it. You're not sure whether the talent that you appreciate is getting noticed on a national level.

Well, after having conversations with team evaluators, general managers and statistical analysts, ESPN's Buster Olney has ranked the top 10 players around the league at each position.

And Desmond and Rendon rank pretty highly.

While admitting that there is no clear-cut top shortstop in today's game and that rankings of the league's elite at that position could be debated for quite a while, Olney ranks Desmond as the third-best shortstop in the majors. He comes in behind the Braves' Andrelton Simmons, who was No. 1, and the Cardinals' Jhonny Peralta.

Olney notes that Desmond's high strikeout total in 2014 and his number of errors committed might have led to the Nats shortstop not being ranked higher, but that his mix of power and speed is hard to match in today's game.

That's part of the reason why Desmond would be so coveted if he was to reach free agency next offseason. Teams are paying big money for power bats in recent years, and Desmond is one of the top run-producing shortstops you'll find. He plays a premium position, plays the game hard, and hits the ball hard, as well.

As for Rendon, Olney ranks him second among big league third basemen, behind just the Athletics' Josh Donaldson.

Olney points out that Rendon has carried over the calm, relaxed approach that he had while playing in college, and that at 24, he still has a long road ahead of him and plenty of time to improve.

Should Rendon actually improve upon this last season, we won't need to wonder whether he'll get the attention and recognition nationally that he deserves. He had a tremendous 2014, and there's no reason to believe that Rendon won't continue to settle in as a big leaguer and fine-tune his craft, both offensively and defensively.