Lance Berkman: A Nationals Killer

Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

When you think of players that have hurt the Nationals over the years, a lot of names probably come to mind. There are the obvious ones like Chipper Jones, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and David Wright. And then there’s the unexpected ones like Jordany Valdespin. Though all of these players have certainly had a successful history against the Nationals, there’s another player that Nationals fans often overlook because he spent most of his career playing in another division. His name is Lance Berkman, and he owned the Nationals. Big time.

Throughout his illustrious 15-year career, Berkman played the Nationals/Expos organization 70 times, mostly during his days with the Houston Astros.

Berkman, who announced his retirement on Wednesday, posted a career .345 batting average against the franchise, along with 88 runs scored, 11 home runs and 53 RBIs. These numbers may not sound like anything special, but considering that he accomplished all of this in just 255 ABs, it’s safe to say the Nationals did not enjoy facing him. 

The six-time All Star retires with a .293/.406/.537 line and 366 home runs. Although Berkman was successful against everyone, he really seemed to enjoy facing the Nationals. His .345 batting average against the Nationals/Expos is one of the highest he had against any team, behind only the Tigers, Orioles and, ironically, the Astros.

With Berkman retiring, baseball is losing a player that played the game the right way and never failed to help his team when they needed him. Lance Berkman had an incredible career and in my opinion, he should be a Hall of Famer. That being said, it’s a good thing the Nationals will never have to face him again.