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Washington Nationals September 2016 Month In Review

By Ricky Keeler

Sep 24, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo (L) and manager Dusty Baker (12) celebrate in the clubhouse after clinching the National League Eastern Division Championship by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. The Nationals won 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 24, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo (L) and manager Dusty Baker (12) celebrate in the clubhouse after clinching the National League Eastern Division Championship by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. The Nationals won 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Nationals
Sep 27, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon (6) hits a three-run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the sixth inning at Nationals Park. The Nationals won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Offense: C

September was not a kind month for the Washington Nationals offense. They finished with 111 runs scored and 25 home runs, which were the fourth fewest in the National League in both categories.

If I had to name a team MVP for the month of September on offense, it would go to Anthony Rendon. While Rendon only hit .258 for the month, he hit four home runs and drove in 23 runs. The 23 RBI’s are tied with three other players for the most runs driven in in the National League.

Rendon’s contributions have been huge when you consider some of the main offensive players had some bad months. Jayson Werth hit .211 with one home runs and Bryce Harper hit .203 with one home run. But, the Nats player who had the worst offensive month was Danny Espinosa (.106, three home runs, eight RBI’s, 40 strikeouts).

On the plus side, Trea Turner continued to be the spark plug at the top of the order. The center fielder hit .330 with seven home runs, 16 RBI’s, and stole 13 bases in 16 attempts.

With the expanded rosters and the injuries, that gave the opportunities for other players to make an impact. Some notable names who did were veterans such as Stephen Drew (.297, one home run, four RBI’s) as well as rookies Brian Goodwin (.320, three RBI’s) and Wilmer Difo (.353).

It is safe to say that this offense is not on the right track heading into October. Now, this offense should be better when Murphy is back and Harper bounces back, but the loss of Ramos hurts the depth of the lineup.

 

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