Washington Nationals: Five Reasons They Won NL East
With a third division title in five seasons, the Washington Nationals are kings of the National League East. How did they do it in 2016?
The Washington Nationals are the 2016 National League champions. Let that sink in for a moment.
For the third time in five seasons, the Nationals claimed their division. In 12 seasons in Washington, they have had more success in the NL East than Montreal did in 36 as the Expos. This third playoff appearance equals what the original Senators did in 60 seasons before moving to Minnesota in 1961. The expansion Senators never came close before departing for Dallas in 1972.
If you grew up in the District and wondered if you would ever see the golden age of Washington baseball, well you are there now. Yes, the goal the last few seasons is more than simply winning the division. Sure, 2012 and 2014 leave a bitter taste.
Forget about that. Do not worry about tomorrow. Focus on the fact the team won 90 games and outlasted the New York Mets and Miami Marlins to get here. It still means something in Major League Baseball to actually win a division.
Yes, there will be plenty on the upcoming NL Divisional Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Some dreamers are already thinking about the Chicago Cubs. The adventurous of you are thinking World Series and more. Remember, Washington has not hosted a World Series game since 1933 and the franchise has never appeared in the Fall Classic.
Before dreaming of tomorrow, let’s take a closer look on how we got here. This ball club has talent everywhere. Here are the five top reasons Dusty Baker’s guys enjoyed a champagne party Saturday in Pittsburgh.
DESTROYING THE NL EAST
When MLB realigned a few years ago giving all six divisions five teams, the schedule dictated you play 76 of your 162 games within the division.
Sometimes, that can hurt you if the division is loaded with talent. For the Nationals in 2016, it was a recipe for domination. With three games left against Miami, the Nats are 49-24 against the rest of the NL East. Against the rest of baseball, they are 41-40. Only Miami has the chance to post a winning record against Washington in the division.
Unlike last year, the Nats took care of business against the Mets, going 12-4. They owned the Atlanta Braves at 15-4 and the Philadelphia Phillies at 14-5. All four opponents showed signs of life during the year, but Washington was the stronger team. They outscored their rivals by 101 runs.
After how the end of 2015 played out, especially with the Mets, the Nationals refocused this year and put more focus and energy within the East. Some of their success came on how bad the Phillies and Braves played, but Nats won two-of-three games in the entire division.
Whatever the final margin is over the Mets and Marlins come season’s end, the Nationals ran away and hid from their fiercest rivals all year.
DANIEL MURPHY
When the Washington Nationals signed Daniel Murphy away from the New York Mets on January 6, they hoped to level the playing field after the Mets won the division last year. Instead, Murphy’s first year in the District will go down as legendary.
No player in the long and storied history of baseball destroyed a former team as Murphy did with the Mets. In all 19 games, he slapped a hit. In total, his 31-for-75 performance against his old friends in Gotham tipped balance all the way down I-95. His slash line of .413/.444/.773 shook fans from Arlington to Flushing.
The rest of his season went well too. Murphy’s 47 doubles, 25 homers and 104 RBI are all career highs. So is his .347 batting average. If not for a late-season injury to his behind in Atlanta, he had a real chance of winning the batting crown.
As Bryce Harper struggled to hit the ball, Murphy filled the gap. His .596 slugging percentage and OPS of .987 is league best. The Adjusted OPS+ of 158 makes him the most efficient hitter in the NL, above Kris Bryant, Nolan Arenado and Corey Seager.
If he does not bat again during the regular season, his .347 average is a franchise record dating back throughout Montreal and Washington’s history.
STARTING PITCHING
We all expected Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg to post monster numbers. What Tanner Roark did to fill in during Strasburg’s injuries was not.
Roark’s 2.70 ERA leads the rotation. His 15 wins ties Strasburg for second and his 200.1 innings is a career high.
In his fourth season, Roark pitched himself into the number two slot of a powerful rotation on merit. Nine times this year he took a shutout into the seventh inning.
Scherzer pitched himself in contention for a Cy Young. His 267 strikeouts in 217.1 innings kept batters off balance all year. With 18 wins, his pinpoint control and stinginess with baserunners caused many sleepless nights for the opposition.
Strasburg did not lose a decision until July 21. If a flexor mass injury had not reared this summer, he was on the verge of a 20-win season with a sub-3.00 ERA. Still, he went 15-4 and pitched deep nearly every game.
Joe Ross emerged as a solid starter and Gio Gonzalez flashed some of the brilliance he owned during his 21-win season a few years ago.
Grabbing Mark Melancon from the Pirates at the trade deadline shored up the bullpen, but the strength of Washington’s starting pitching is why they won the division.
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
With a .988 fielding percentage and a scant 68 errors committed, the Nationals have the best defense in the NL.
Want deeper statistics?
Anthony Rendon saved 15 runs this year at third while Danny Espinosa saved eight at shortstop. Although Ben Revere struggled at the plate, his speed and range in center turned potential hits into outs. Wilson Ramos, Jose Lobaton and Pedro Severino threw out 38 percent of would be base stealers. In 5568 total chances heading into Saturday, the Nats failed to execute on 68 of them.
Trusting the fielders behind you makes the pitchers relax and do their job. Even with runners on base, they turned 140 double plays. Espinosa was part of 94 himself. Jayson Werth and Harper started one each in the outfield.
What the Nationals did en route to the divisional crown is not beat themselves. The defense did not need to give pitchers extra outs, leading to less pitches thrown. After 162 games, those little things add up to one big trip to the postseason.
Judging defense is hard to do with mere statistics. Knowing any ball hit on the left side of the infield was in safe hands, and Ryan Zimmerman’s reflexes at first, gave the Nats a distinct advantage. If you believe in Baseball Reference’s defensive WAR, Espinosa and Rendon won 2.4 games just with their glove alone.
TREA TURNER
Brought up for good around the All-Star break, all Trea Turner did was provide speed, hitting and a presence well beyond his years for a team in need of a true leadoff hitter.
In less than half a season, he has seven triples. A speedy runner, he swiped 27 bags. Those are top 10 numbers in the NL in just 64 games. If he qualified, his .338 average would contend for a batting title.
A top prospect in the system, you expect Turner to be an impact player. In the next year or two. To pull off what he has including learning how to play centerfield, something he never did in the minors, is incredible. If it was not for Corey Seager’s amazing year with the Dodgers, Turner would be Rookie of the Year. He may draw some minor MVP consideration.
The weak spots in his game will go away with experience. Plays he struggles with now will be routine given time. Turner’s impact in his short time, however, is nothing short of amazing.
When you can create runs like he can, the Nationals’ offense becomes more dangerous. His ability to take or steal an extra base gave Washington that added kick in the second half when the rest of the team began to tire.
Next: Biggest Playoff Storylines
The sky’s the limit for Turner, but his immediate impact earned a division title.