District Daily: Nationals headline Washington Post’s ‘Best in D.C. Sports’

Sep 26, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder

(28) doubles during the second inning against the Miami Marlins in game two of a baseball doubleheader at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning DoD readers! Start off your day with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web in our District Daily:

The best in D.C. sports: Washington Nationals, Maryland Terrapins and Happy Hour Kickball

(Jeffrey Tomik and Michael Cunniff, Washington Post)

Our readers voted, and here are their picks for D.C.’s best sports teams, venues and players.

Best athlete

Jayson Werth

Yes, Jayson Werth provides a solid bat in the middle of the Nationals’ lineup. And, yes, he’s a great leader in the clubhouse for the NL East champs. But he’s a fan favorite because of that epic beard. Our city’s infatuation with the hirsute outfielder was best exemplified on a Tuesday in August when fans lined up five hours before game time hoping to be among the first 25,000 through the gates to get a Jayson Werth garden gnome.

(About 15,000 went home empty-handed.) “Obviously a pretty good crowd for a Tuesday,” Werth told The Washington Post. Read full article here.

Nationals positional review, Part 3: Infield

(Adam Kilgore, Washington Post)

Each day this week, and carrying into next week, we’ll be taking stock of every Nationals positional group. In Part 3 of 5 today, we’ll analyze the infielder. // Part 1: Starting rotation // Part 2: Bullpen 

Season review

The Nationals’ infield underwent a franchise-shifting change in 2014, with one established cornerstone saying goodbye to third base and a new one taking his place.

Anthony Rendon started the season at second base and — upon Ryan Zimmerman breaking his thumb in April and then tearing his hamstring in July — moved to third and entrenched himself as the Nationals’ MVP and an all-star caliber player. Rendon led the National League in runs, hit 21 homers, stole 17 bases in 20 attempts and posted an .824 OPS in his first full season. Read full article here.