Washington Nationals: Top 5 Seasons by a Pitcher in History
In the past few years, the Washington Nationals have had starting pitchers put together some staggering numbers from the pitching mound. Which season stands out as the best in team history?
Since they became relevant to the playoff race in 2012, the Washington Nationals have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with backed by dominant starting pitching. While the club has yet to see one of their own enshrined as the Cy Young Award winner, they have certainly had pitchers that made their way into the conversation.
This season, it is Max Scherzer who will be on the baseball writers’ minds when casting their ballot for the yearly award. The National League strikeout leader has undoubtedly been the ace of the Nats’ staff in 2016, but where does his season rank in team history?
In the 12 years that the team has called D.C. home, 29 pitchers have qualified for the ERA title while donning the Curly W. 18 of those starters finished the season with a WAR of at least 3.0, but only five of them did it prior to 2012. With all due to respect to John Patterson, Esteban Loaiza, John Lannan, and Livan Hernandez, the best seasons by Washington Nationals pitchers came once the team began to compete.
So where does Mad Max’s 2016 stack up against the rest? Will Stephen Strasburg, who signed a seven-year, $175 million contract extension this season, make the cut? Let’s take a look at which starting pitchers have put together the best single-season in Nats history.
Jordan Zimmermann, 2014
Stats: 32 games (32 starts), 199.2 innings pitched, 14-5 record, 2.66 ERA, 2.68 FIP, 1.072 WHIP, 182 strikeouts, 29 walks, 13 home runs, and an opponent’s slash line of .244/.277/.354
Awards: All-Star, 5th in Cy Young voting
“I was just trying to keep it all in. I knew I was getting close. Obviously with the fans going crazy, you can definitely notice you’re getting close to the end.” – Jordan Zimmermann on his no-hitter in the final game of the regular season, 2014 (h/t Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post)
When the quiet Auburndale, Wisconsin, native took the mound for the Washington Nationals, he never commanded much of a presence. As quiet and emotionless as Jordan Zimmermann was, he was able to do some spectacular things during his seven-year tenure in the nation’s capital. In 2014, Zimmermann had the best season of his career, leading a pitching staff that saw three different starters earn a spot in the top ten of Cy Young voting.
He tossed three complete games, including the first no-hitter in Nationals history in the last game of the season. While Zimmermann didn’t post the gaudiest strikeout numbers the team has ever seen, his ability to ability to keep balls in the strike zone was unmatched.
His 1.31 BB/9 was not only the lowest mark in the Senior Circuit, but the lowest in the entire franchise’s history. Not to be forgotten is Zimmermann’s stellar postseason start in Game 2 of the NLDS, where he pitched 8.2 innings and gave up only one run on three hits. He may be pitching in Detroit now, but Washington Nationals fans will always have a special place in their hearts for J-Zimm.
Tanner Roark, 2016
Stats: 34 games (33 starts), 210.0 innings pitched, 16-10 record, 2.83 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 1.171 WHIP, 172 strikeouts, 73 walks, 17 home runs, and an opponent’s slash line of .228/.307/.327
Awards: None (for now?)
“He doesn’t have that prototypical-type pitcher’s body, but he’s strong. He’s built kind of like Roger Clemens was a little bit and the guy’s got some big — you know — some guts, big guts.” – Dusty Baker on Roark (h/t Patrick Reddington, Federal Baseball)
While Max Scherzer has made all the headlines this season, Tanner Roark has been working like a machine in his shadow. After bouncing around between the bullpen and starting rotation last season, Roark won a permanent spot in the rotation coming out of Spring Training and never looked back.
His 2.83 ERA led the staff and he will likely be starting Game 2 in the NLDS this weekend. It’s probably safe to say that the team wouldn’t be where it is today without him.
Roark’s claim to fame was his knack for inducing weak contact. His 24.3 percent hard contact rate was tenth in the National League (according to Fangraphs). He didn’t throw any complete games, but pitched at least seven innings allowing two runs or less a staggering 15 times, the most in the Majors. With Stephen Strasburg’s injury troubles and Gio Gonzalez’s inconsistencies, Roark has been one of the most vital components of this team. Despite having a salary significantly lower than that of most of his fellow starters, Roark will be relied on heavily both in the playoffs and seasons ahead.
Gio Gonzalez, 2012
Stats: 32 games (32 starts), 199.1 innings pitched, 21-8 record, 2.89 ERA, 2.82 FIP, 1.129 WHIP, 207 strikeouts, 76 walks, 9 home runs, and an opponent’s slash line of .206/.283/.299
Awards: All-Star, 3rd in Cy Young voting, 20th in MVP voting
“It doesn’t feel like a 20th win for myself. It feels like a 20th win for the team,” the lefty said. “This is a childhood dream, but at the same time, to do it with a team that’s in first place makes it that much better.” – Gio Gonzalez, 2012 (h/t Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post)
For every season the Nationals have made the postseason, they’ve had an ace carrying their rotation. While Stephen Strasburg made all the headlines with his shutdown, Gio Gonzalez was putting together the first 20-win season in team history. In his first year in D.C., the 26-year old lefty became the first Nats starter to eclipse 200 strikeouts. The team relied on him to pitch in Game 1 of the NLDS, where he tossed five innings of two run ball.
Gio first rose to stardom in 2010 as a member of the Oakland A’s. He made the AL All-Star Team a year later, then was traded to Washington the following offseason.
Before he even threw a pitch in a Nationals uniform, Gonzalez signed a five-year, $42 million contract with two team options that brought the total value up to $65 million. While he has been inconsistent over the years since, he made a good first impression with his All-Star season in 2012.
Max Scherzer, 2016
Stats: 34 games (34 starts), 228.1 innings pitched, 20-7 record, 2.96 ERA, 3.24 FIP, 0.968 WHIP, 284 strikeouts, 56 walks, 31 home runs, and an opponent’s slash line of .199/.254/.365
Awards: All-Star (Cy Young? Silver Slugger? MVP votes?)
“I used to get bugged watching him on TV when he was with the Tigers, but I love him on my team, cause he walks around and stuff, it’s like he’s out there by himself kind of. He don’t care about TV, he don’t care about how he looks, he don’t care about nothing other than winning and getting the hitter out.” – Dusty Baker on Scherzer (h/t Patrick Reddington, Federal Baseball)
Max Scherzer’s 2016 season may not be the greatest season ever tossed by a National, but it is the closest any of them have coming to winning the Cy Young. Results have yet to be released, but the numbers don’t lie: Mad Max is the favorite. In addition to leading the National League in WAR, wins, WHIP, innings pitched, and strikeouts, Scherzer also became the third pitcher ever to rack up 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game.
Scherzer was unquestionably the ace of the staff in 2016. Roark put together a strong campaign and Strasburg had a historic first half before injuries unraveled him after the All-Star Break, but Scherzer outpitched both of them. It’s odd to think that when the Washington Nationals signed him, writers called the team’s rotation an embarrassment of riches. Now, the team would not be where they are today without him.
Max Scherzer, 2015
Stats: 33 games (33 starts), 228.2 innings pitched, 14-12 record, 2.79 ERA, 2.77 FIP, 0.918 WHIP, 276 strikeouts, 34 walks, 27 home runs, and an opponent’s slash line of .208/.242/.358
Awards: All-Star, 5th in Cy Young voting
“Guys, I’m speechless about that. I don’t know what to say. You go out there and try to have as much success as possible. You try to accomplish as much as you can and do everything you can. … To have that happen twice in a season, it’s special. And when you start talking about the history of the game, you can’t even really think about that. That’s why I’m speechless.” – Max Scherzer after throwing his second no-hitter of the season, 2015 (h/t Adam Rubin, ESPN)
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When you sign a pitcher to seven-year, $210 million contract, you’d hope that he’d put together multiple seasons that could regarded as the best in team history.
Two years into his record-setting deal, that’s exactly what Max Scherzer has done. While his 2016 campaign may garner him his second career Cy Young award, it was his first go-around that was truly special.
Put aside the 14-12 record for a second. In 2015, Max had a better ERA, FIP and WHIP while allowing less walks and home runs than he did in 2016. He threw two no-hitters, struck out 16 or more hitters in a game twice, and tied for the major league-lead in complete games with four.
Next: Treinen's Meltdown Helps Dodgers Force Game 5
The Washington Nationals may not have made the postseason with Max at the forefront of the rotation, but they might not have even been over .500 without him