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Washington Nationals: Who Would Be In Their Presidential Cabinet?

By Ricky Keeler

iApr 8, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo on the field before the game between the Washington Nationals and New York Mets at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
iApr 8, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo on the field before the game between the Washington Nationals and New York Mets at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Nationals
Jun 27, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals shortstop Danny Espinosa (8) throws to first after the force out New York Mets third baseman Wilmer Flores (4) during the eighth inning at Nationals Park. Washington Nationals defeated New York Mets 11-4. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

Secretaries Of Defense: Danny Espinosa/Anthony Rendon

Normally, the United States has one Secretary of Defense. But, for this discussion, I decided to go with two players who were consistent defenders on the left side of the infield. According to Fangraphs, third baseman Anthony Rendon and shortstop Danny Espinosa were tied for the team lead in defensive runs saved (eight).

This past week, the Washington Nationals finished tied for the league lead as a team in fielding percentage with the Giants (.988) and their 73 errors were the second lowest in the league. The 73 errors were 17 lower than the team made in 2015 (90 errors – 16th in the league).

Rendon is a Gold Glove finalist this year and for good reason. If you go back to 2014, he made six fewer errors this season (nine) than when he finished in the top five in MVP voting in ’14 (15).

As far as shortstop goes, the main reason the Washington Nationals kept Espinosa at shortstop instead of Trea Turner was because of his defense. While he made 18 errors this year, his defensive WAR of 1.6 (according to ESPN) was the highest mark of his career.

It will be interesting to see what the Nats do at shortstop if they go out and acquire another center fielder this winter. With that being said, as bad as Espinosa was at the plate at times, he made great defensive plays at shortstop. Rendon and Espinosa appear to be one of the best, if not the best left sides of the field defensively in the National League.

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