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Washington Nationals: 2016 NLDS Tale Of The Tape

By Ricky Keeler

Jun 22, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (5) slides into third base to beat a throw to Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon (6) in the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 22, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (5) slides into third base to beat a throw to Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon (6) in the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 27, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner (10) commits a throwing error on a single by San Diego Padres center fielder Jon Jay (not pictured) at Petco Park. Jay would reach second on the error. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

Third Base: Justin Turner vs. Anthony Rendon

When analyzing these matchups, this one has the best chance of being a push since both of these players could be consider their team’s X-Factor in the NLDS. Both Turner and Rendon carried their respective offenses at time.

Let’s start with Turner. This season, the 31-year-old hit .275/.339/.493 with 27 home runs and 90 RBI’s. His 5.0 WAR was third among all third basemen in the NL. Down the stretch, he hit .298 with 14 home runs and 46 RBI’s.

Against the Washington Nationals this season, Turner hit three home runs and drove in seven runs while having a .320 on-base percentage. Turner is key for the Dodgers because he usually hits third in their lineup. His 62 RBI’s with runners in scoring position are second on the team (Gonzalez has 73).

With the injuries to Ramos and Murphy along with the struggles of Bryce Harper, Rendon was relied upon heavily along with Trea Turner in the second half. Rendon hit .291 with 11 home runs and 52 RBI’s after the All-Star Break with 23 of those RBI’s coming in September.

After an injury plagued 2015, Rendon responded this season in a big way. While he wasn’t the player that was in the top five in MVP voting two years ago, he had a slash line of .270/.348/.450 with 20 home runs and 85 RBI’s. His 4.1 WAR was right behind Turner (fourth among NL third basemen).

Rendon did go 5-for-20 with a home run and two RBI’s against the Dodgers this year. With that being said, he was one of the only Nats who had a productive NLDS in 2014 against the Giants (.368, one RBI in four games).

Advantage: Turner and Rendon are even in a lot of categories. Turner has more home runs and RBI’s, but both of these players will be relied upon in this series. You could make the case that the winner of this series will be which third baseman makes the most plays. I’m going to give the slight edge to Turner, but this could be a push.

 

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