Washington Nationals: Top 5 Offensive Seasons In History

The Washington Nationals have seen some spectacular seasons out of their players since moving to D.C. in 2005. Which hitters put together the best single-season performance?

The regular season has come and gone. The Washington Nationals locked up their third National League East division title in the last five years, and are set to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series this weekend. Led by MVP-candidate Daniel Murphy, the Nats are a force to be reckoned with heading into the first round of the playoffs.

Speaking of Murphy, the former New York Met proved that his postseason performance last October was no fluke, putting together an MVP-caliber season for Washington. He led the National League in several offense categories, while anchoring the middle of a lineup that desperately needed it with Bryce Harper’s fall to Earth. Murphy was by far the most productive hitter on the Nationals this season, but where does his season rank in team history?

Since moving from Montreal, the franchise has seen 54 players qualify for the batting title in its twelve seasons in the District. 32 of those players were selected to All-Star team, while 25 finished the year with a WAR above three. The Nationals may not have become relevant in the playoff picture until 2012, but the team still had a few bright spots during their dark years.

Where does Daniel Murphy’s season stack up against the rest? Let’s take a look at which players have put together the best single-season at the plate in Nats history.

Anthony Rendon, 2014

Stats: 153 games, .287/.351/.473, .824 OPS, 178 hits, 39 doubles, 21 home runs, 111 runs scored, 83 RBIs, 17 stolen bases, 58 walks, and 104 strikeouts

Awards: Silver Slugger, 5^th in MVP voting

“I feel like he’s carried us offensively. We’ve been in first place for a little bit this first half and he’s been the catalyst. He’s done everything. He’s got on base, he’s scored runs, knocked in a ton of runs. Defensively, he’s been unbelievable at second base and third base.” – Denard Span on Rendon, 2014 (h/t Zac Boyer, The Washington Times)

The emergence of Anthony Rendon onto the Major League scene was a quiet one, but only due to his demeanor rather than his performance on the field. After a promising rookie season in which he hit .265/.329/.396 with 31 extra-base hits and 35 RBIs in 98 games, there were many who believed Rendon was capable of making the leap to stardom. He didn’t wait long to do just that, leading the Nationals to their second franchise NL East crown with consistent production at the top of the lineup.

Rendon hit out of the No. 2 spot for a majority of the season. Alongside leadoff man Denard Span, the two combined to form one of the most formidable tandems at the top of the lineup in all of baseball. He was the first Nat to finish in the Top 5 in MVP voting. Although he did not make the All-Star Team, his Silver Slugger at third base was a testament to how well he performed at the plate.

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Alfonso Soriano, 2006

Stats: 159 games, .277/.351/.560, .911 OPS, 179 hits, 41 doubles, 46 home runs, 119 runs scored, 95 RBIs, 41 stolen bases, 67 walks, and 160 strikeouts

Awards: All-Star, Silver Slugger, 6^th in MVP voting

“We love Alfonso. We love what he does, lots of people do. Let’s face it, he’s a potential MVP candidate. It goes without saying that he’s a superior player. But, you know, our No. 1 mission is [being the best] team we can as soon as possible.” – Former Nationals president Stan Kasten, 2006 (h/t Bill Ladson, MLB.com)

A year after faltering down the stretch in their inaugural season in D.C., the Nationals’ front office made a big splash over the offseason. The team struck a deal with the Rangers for Alfonso Soriano, bringing the Dominican native to Washington for his final year of arbitration before hitting free agency. While the Nats were once again unable to compete in the NL East, Soriano was busy putting together the fourth 40-40 campaign in MLB history.

Soriano was the lone representative of the Nationals at the Midsummer Classic, a trend that Washington would continue every season until sending four players to the All-Star Game in 2012. He was the leadoff man for a club that finished 23^rd in the Majors in runs scored. With 214 combined runs scored and RBIs, Soriano accounted for nearly 29 percent of the Nationals’ total runs. He holds team records for home runs, stolen bases, and runs scored in a season. Washington may have had a few years where they really didn’t have an All-Star worthy player, but Soriano’s spectacular season was certainly deserving.

Daniel Murphy, 2016

Stats: 142 games, .347/.390/.595, .985 OPS, 184 hits, 47 doubles, 25 home runs, 88 runs scored, 104 RBIs, 5 stolen bases, 35 walks, and 57 strikeouts

Awards: All-Star (Silver Slugger? MVP?)

“I was saving Murph for a situation where hopefully he didn’t have to run and beat out a double play or something. This was MVP-caliber in my mind. He’s having an MVP season and that was big. Especially off a guy like Melancon who’s an All-Star and a very good pitcher.” – Dusty Baker after Murphy hit a pinch hit, game-tying home run in the ninth inning of a July game against the Pirates (h/t Patrick Reddington, Federal Baseball)

Without Daniel Murphy, just where would the Nationals be? Once could argue that the former Met was only worth 4.6 WAR this season, which is of hardly MVP-caliber. However, Murphy’s ability to put consistently put balls in play while leading the National League in slugging percentage made him an invaluable member of the Nats’ lineup. He is the first player to post a slugging percentage above .570 with less than 60 strikeouts over a full season since Albert Pujols did it in 2008.

His defense may have been forgettable, but Murphy made up for it with his clutch performances at the plate, especially against divisional opponents. The lowest batting average Murphy held against an NL East foe was .319 against the Marlins. Against their closest competition, the Mets, Murphy recorded a hit in every single game he played against them. As clutch as he was, however, Murphy’s spectacular 2016 fell short to…

Bryce Harper, 2015

Stats: 153 games, .330/.460/.649, 1.109 OPS, 172 hits, 38 doubles, 42 home runs, 118 runs scored, 99 RBIs, 6 stolen bases, 124 walks, and 131 strikeouts

Awards: Unanimous MVP, All-Star, Silver Slugger

“I’ve seen some great seasons, but what Bryce has been able to accomplish this year has been pretty remarkable considering how he’s had to do it,” Scherzer said. “He’s the one player I’ve seen — like, Miggy’s Miggy, from Day 1 to 162, he’s the same guy — but I feel like we’ve seen Bryce get better as the year keeps progressing.” – Max Scherzer on Harper, 2015 (h/t Chelsea Janes, The Washington Post)

Was there ever really any doubt? Bryce Harper’s historic 2015 campaign wasn’t just amazing by Nats standards; it was one of the greatest seasons in the history of the sport. At only 22-years-old, Harper entered the season dubbed the most overrated player in baseball. Needless to say, he put those doubters to shame with his spectacular play on the field. He posted the second highest OPS ever by a player in his age-22 season or younger. The only player ahead of him was some guy named Ted Williams.

Next: 2016 NLDS Tale of the Tape

The Nats didn’t make the postseason, but they might not have even finished over .500 had Harper not put together the season he had. He was unanimously selected NL MVP despite the team missing out on the postseason, becoming the youngest player to do so. While he hasn’t been able to rediscover that success this season, there are still many bright years ahead of him. In a few years from now we could very well find him scattered all around this list.