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Washington Nationals April 2016 Month In Review

By Ricky Keeler

Apr 26, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) celebrates after driving a run during the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 26, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) celebrates after driving a run during the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 4, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy (20) drives in the game winning run with a base hit against the Atlanta Braves during the tenth inning at Turner Field. The Nationals defeated the Braves 4-3 in ten innings. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Offense: B-

So far, the Nationals’ offense has not done well in the batting average category. Their .230 team average is the third lowest of any team in the National League, ahead of only the Braves and the Brewers. But, there are three players that have stood out: Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, and Wilson Ramos.

First, let’s start with the reigning NL MVP, who has picked up right where he left off last season. Harper is hitting .286 with nine home runs, 24 RBI’s, and has a .406 on-base percentage. Plus, he is stealing more bases (five-for-six) in steals. This month, Harper hit his 100th career home run back on April 14 against Julio Teheran.

When the Nats brought in Murphy, nobody thought he would get off to this good of a start. The second baseman is hitting .370 with two home runs, 11 RBI’s, a .433 on-base percentage, and 11 multi-hit games. Right now, he is tied for third in the NL in hits (30).

However, the surprise of this group is Wilson Ramos. Ramos has been on the bereavement list for the last week because of a death in the family. The Nats’ catcher is showing good signs at the plate after having LASIK surgery during spring training (.316, two home runs, eight RBI’s).

There have been some disappointments on the offense so far such as center fielder Michael Taylor (.183 average out of the leadoff spot), Ryan Zimmerman (.219, one home run, and seven RBI’s), and Jayson Werth (.211, four home runs, 13 RBI’s) just to name a few.

With that being said, it will be interesting to watch how this offense performs once Revere is back in the lineup. At least, they have stayed relatively healthy and are getting contributions from Harper, Murphy, and Ramos.

Next: Starting Pitching

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