Nationals salute Rodriguez, their first Hall of Fame player

The first image of Ivan Rodriguez for everyone will not include him wearing a Nationals uniform. Rodriguez will forever be known as a Ranger, and surely his plaque in Cooperstown will feature that logo on his cap.

Pudge also will be remembered fondly by many for helping the Marlins win the 2003 World Series and for helping the Tigers reach the 2006 World Series. He wound up getting traded from Detroit to New York in 2008, then signed with Houston in 2009, so that's two more franchises on his resume.

Many will probably forget that Rodriguez's final two seasons in the majors were spent in Washington. He was a shell of the great player that he was earlier in his career, though he was a consummate professional during his two seasons with the Nats, overwhelmingly respected by teammates young and old at a time when the franchise was still trying to earn the respect of the rest of the baseball world.

So it is perhaps appropriate that Rodriguez becomes the first Nationals player ever elected to the Hall of Fame. He's not the first Washington ballplayer in the Hall of Fame, but his plaque will be the first one that includes "Washington, N.L." on it. (For the nitpickers out there, Jim O'Rourke and Roger Bresnahan are Hall of Famers who played for the original Washington Senators of the National League in the 1890s, but neither plaque includes "Washington, N.L.")

The Nationals certainly are celebrating Rodriguez's achievement. Here's a sampling of statements released by the team last night about Pudge:

General manager Mike Rizzo: "This is a really proud day for me, to see Pudge elected to the Hall of Fame. Pudge was the first true free agent I signed as general manager, and he'll always have a special place in my heart. I have one jersey framed and hung in my office. It's his. That aside, if his career wasn't capped with election to the Hall of Fame, I'd have been shocked. Between his outstanding offensive production and that throwing arm - bringing opposing team's running games to a grinding halt - he exemplified what a two-way catcher should be. Even at the end of his career, when he was here in Washington, his work ethic and dedication to the game was unlike any other. To know that Pudge will be the first player with 'Nationals' listed as one of his teams on his Hall of Fame plaque is really special for me and I am so happy for him today."

Outfielder Jayson Werth: "When I got to Washington, one of the people on the team I was most excited to share the clubhouse with was Pudge. Growing up, I was a catcher and I always admired his game the most. The hustle, the fire, the excitement. Most of all, the production. He was well-known for being a hard worker, but the one thing that will always stick out when I think of Pudge was a spring training game early on in 2011. When the position guys came out of the game early, they were supposed to run six sprints of about 90-100 feet. Not a lot, but at the end of the day, it's more challenging than one would expect. I was playing right field and the sprints were to take place on the right field warning track, starting at the foul pole. There were two players running that inning and Pudge was one of them. The other was a younger player, just getting to the big leagues, whose career fizzled out like his sprint work. He ran only four legs of the required six, cutting it short on distance and effort, and took it in. Pudge, instead of running the required 90-100 feet, ran from the right field foul pole all the way to the left field foul pole - giving it everything he had. He was on the brink of 40 years old and his effort and grit was still at a Hall of Fame level, doing way more than what was required. The contrast between the two players couldn't have been more glaring. The Hall of Famer's postgame sprints represented everything that you thought about him: giving everything he had to the game, leaving it all on the field, going far beyond the call of duty - even in early March and at the end of a storied career. He never took the easy way out. My childhood admiration grew that day to an all-time high, matching the respect and integrity that Señor Pudge has for the game of baseball. Pudge Rodriguez, a true Hall of Famer."

Pitcher Stephen Strasburg: "Pudge exemplified a true professional. Competing on the same field with him is something I will truly never forget. Being his teammate made me appreciate the man he is even more."

First baseman Ryan Zimmerman: "Pudge broke into the major leagues in 1991, so when he came to our team practically 20 years later he'd played over 2,300 big league games. And yet, what stays with me most about Pudge was watching him work those two years, work he did before he even stepped on the field. It was honestly something I feel fortunate to have been able to be around and to see firsthand. Even then, even at the end of his career, with all he'd already accomplished, what he did for the team - sharing his knowledge of the game - I felt like he made everyone around him better. He challenged you to raise the level of your game. You couldn't watch him, couldn't see the way he went about his business and how he treated the game, and not want to put in that same amount of effort."

Former Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos: "When I came to the Nationals in 2010, one of the best parts of the trade for me was that it meant that I would get to work with Pudge. Simply put, Pudge is my all-time favorite player. Growing up in Venezuela, he was the player I aspired to be. To play with him, and to learn from him at the major league level, was nothing short of a dream come true for me. I am honored that I was able to call him a teammate and I am so happy for him today, as he is now forever a Hall of Famer."

Manager Dusty Baker: "Pudge was a great catcher. Playing against him, he shut down the running game. I mean, shut it down. That's big - you didn't run at all. He was a great clutch hitter and an outstanding, durable catcher.