Washington Nationals: Who Made The 2016 Naughty And Nice List?

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Aug 17, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker (12) calls out towards a player in his dugout in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Rockies defeated the Nationals 12-10. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

With Christmas Eve being today, which Washington Nationals made this year’s naughty or nice list?

Today is Christmas Eve and Santa Claus is checking his naughty or nice list to see which children will get coal in their stockings or receive presents underneath the tree. For the second straight year, Baseball Santa returns for the Washington Nationals and we will reveal which Nats are on the list that he’s checking twice.

While it may seem the Washington Nationals didn’t get the top players or best free agents this winter, they have found a way to add a center fielder in Adam Eaton and a new catcher in Derek Norris. They still have some shopping to do, although the Nats did reportedly reach a deal with Daniel Murphy last season, which ended up being the best present or free agent signing from last offseason.

This year, the baseball Santa is more kind to the Washington Nationals after they lived up to expectations during the 2016 season. They won 95 games and ended up winning their third division title in five years. Yes, the playoffs did not go as well for the Nats, but they played a competitive five game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.

So, before you do your last minute holiday shopping, check out which Washington Nationals made the 2016 version of the naughty or nice list. Since we are usually positive people, let’s start with the three Washington Nationals who made the nice list before we reveal who made the naughty list.

Daniel Murphy

As I mentioned earlier, Murphy reportedly reached a three year deal with the Washington Nationals last Christmas Eve, but the deal ended up being finalized after the holiday season. Murphy was viewed as a plan B after Brandon Phillips wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause to come to Washington D.C.

While Murphy wasn’t atop the Washington Nationals wish list, but he still found a way to make the fans and the organization extremely happy. During the regular season, Murphy had a slash line of .347/.390/.595 with 25 home runs and 104 RBI’s (both career-high’s).

Murphy ended up losing the batting title to Rockies second baseman D.J. LeMahieu because he missed some of the month of September due to a buttocks injury. He ended up finishing second in the MVP vote to Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, but he did win the National League Most Outstanding Player Award by the players.

At times last season, Murphy had to carry the Nats offense, which no one ever expected. Once the playoffs started, he showed no rust after missing time because of the injury. He went 7-for-16 in the playoffs (all seven hits were singles) and drove in six runs, including three in a Game 2 win at home.

Murphy’s expectations will be high in 2017 as one of the center pieces of this Washington Nationals offense. It is safe to say going into next season that he is on the nice list because of all the contributions he gave to the Nats this past season. Without him, who knows where this team would be right now.

Max Scherzer

Scherzer was on the nice list last season and there’s no reason that he shouldn’t stay on the nice list after the great season he had in 2016. The 32-year-old right-hander won 20 games for the second time in his Major League career (21 wins with the Tigers in 2013). In both of those seasons, Scherzer won the Cy Young.

The Washington Nationals were relatively healthy this season in terms of injuries, but Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross did spend some time on the disabled list. Due to those injuries, it was up for Scherzer to pitch at an elite level and he did just that.

During the second half of the 2016 season, Scherzer went 10-1 with a 2.86 ERA in his final 15 starts (100.2 innings) with teams having an opponents batting average of .207. In addition to wins, Scherzer led all of the National League in innings pitched (228.1 innings), strikeouts (284), and WHIP (0.97).

Now, Scherzer does give up a lot of home runs (31), but when all of his pitches are on, it’s almost as calming as watching the Yule Log for Nats fans because they know there is a chance history can happen. Last May, against his former team (the Tigers), Scherzer tied a baseball record by striking out 20 batters in a nine inning game.

In 2015, Scherzer threw two no-hitters. 2016, he had the 20 strikeout game. What does Scherzer have in store for 2017? Everyone can’t wait to find out.

Trea Turner

Turner continues to be the gift that keeps on giving for the Washington Nationals. I can imagine Mike Rizzo sending Padres general manager A.J. Preller a holiday card every year saying thanks for Turner and Joe Ross.

Fans wanted Turner to start the 2016 season with the big league club, but he didn’t get called up until a weekend series in Cincinnati back in June. He went back down to triple-A for a month where he learned how to play center field. Once he came back up, Turner was the spark plug in the leadoff spot.

Over the course of 73 games, Turner had a slash line of .342/.370/.567 with 13 home runs, 40 RBI’s, and 33 stolen bases in 39 chances. He ended up finishing second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting to Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager.

In 2017, Turner will be back at his natural position of shortstop after the Nats traded Danny Espinosa to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim during Winterfest a few weeks ago. While he won’t be playing center field again, it doesn’t take away from how good Turner was defensively at a position he has never played before.

If there’s one thing I am looking forward to in 2017 from a Washington Nationals perspective, it’s watching the amount of stolen bases that Turner will put up in a few season playing for manager Dusty Baker and first base coach Davey Lopes. Turner was fun to watch last season as he is starting to emerge as one of the great young players in the game of baseball.

Gio Gonzalez

Now, it’s time to get to which Washington Nationals make this year’s naughty list. First up, it’s left-hander Gio Gonzalez, who once again showed a lot of inconsistency in the Washington Nationals starting rotation.

Gonzalez got off to a great start to the season as he had a 1.42 ERA in his first four starts. But, the 31-year-old started to struggle. From May 1 to June 30, Gonzalez went 3-6 over a 12-start stretch and gave up nine home runs (six of them in the month of May).

Once July came around, Gonzalez got a little bit better as teams hit .227 against him in July and .208 in August. But, in the month of September, Gonzalez went 1-2 with a 7.43 ERA in five starts. Then, in the postseason, Gonzalez couldn’t make it out of the fifth inning in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Dodgers.

If Gonzalez is only a back of the rotation starter, then he’s a good option to have, which is why the Washington Nationals picked up his $12 million team option for 2017. But, if he has to relied upon to be a third starter because of injuries, then the rotation does take a hit.

Hopefully, Santa brought some consistency for Gonzalez this Christmas as he heads into the 2017 season. He’s not the pitcher that finished in the third place in the National Cy Young award back in 2012. With that being said, Gonzalez still can win more than 11 games (something he hasn’t done since 2012).

Ben Revere

Like Espinosa, Revere is heading out to the West Coast as he agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal with the Los Angeles of Anaheim yesterday. When the Washington Nationals acquired Revere in January from the Blue Jays for reliever Drew Storen, most thought he would be a productive center fielder and a good hitter at the top of the order. However, neither team ended up winning the deal. Storen was traded to the Seattle Mariners later in the season.

On defense, Revere made some highlight plays in center field during the season. But, he could never get into a rhythm at the plate. In his first at-bat with the Washington Nationals, Revere hurt his oblique and went on the disabled list until May 6. His best month of the season was in June, when the 28-year-old hit .274.

For the season, Revere had a slash line of .217/.260/.300 with two home runs, 24 RBI’s, and 14 stolen bases in 19 attempts. At the end of the year, Revere didn’t make the postseason roster as Michael Taylor ended up being the backup center fielder to Trea Turner.

Now, the baseball Santa should understand injuries, so Revere shouldn’t get that much coal. Plus, he does have a chance to make the nice list with the Angels in 2017 as the fourth outfielder. It’s a good situation for him as he can be the backup to arguably the best player in the game, Mike Trout.

Revere and Espinosa didn’t have great seasons with the Washington Nationals in 2016, both should bounce back in Los Angeles in 2017.

Jonathan Papelbon

Since we have the same player on the nice list two years in a row, it’s only fair we have the same person on the naughty list two years in a row. While he didn’t finish the year with the Washington Nationals, Papelbon’s season was less than stellar in 2016.

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In 37 appearances, Papelbon went 2-4 with a 4.30 ERA and had 19 saves in 22 chances. He did only blow three saves, but throughout the first half of the season, the fastball velocity was down and the location made it easier for opposing hitters to hit line drives against.

During his last three appearances in the month of July, Papelbon gave up eight runs (seven earned) in what amounted to one inning. The Washington Nationals needed a closer, but Papelbon’s struggles at that time may have made Mike Rizzo push even more for that reliever. They ended up finding it in the form of Mark Melancon.

The Washington Nationals do not have that proven closer in the bullpen right now, but it’s better than the alternative of still having Papelbon. There were no clubhouse incidents this year like there was in 2015, but getting rid of one of the grinches in baseball after he asked for his release was the best thing the Nats could have done.

Next: Happy Holidays From DOD

Washington Nationals fans, it’s now up to you. Who would be on your naughty or nice list in 2016? We would again like to wish all of you a Happy Holidays from all of us at the District On Deck staff.

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Washington Nationals Who Made The 2016 Naughty Or Nice List?