Washington Nationals: Adam Lind cruising into postseason

Adam Lind’s phenomenal season continued this week, leading to him being named District on Deck’s Washington Nationals player of the week.

When the Washington Nationals signed Adam Lind shortly before pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training, it was viewed as a decent move. They already had Clint Robinson, who provided a similar skillset and was cheaper, so it wasn’t a game-changer.

It soon became obvious that Lind would take Robinson’s spot as the backup first baseman and occasional corner outfielder, but he probably wouldn’t contribute much more than that. Boy, were we wrong.

In a season in which seemingly every National has spent time on the disabled list, Lind has remained healthy and productive throughout the entire season. He has been arguably the best pinch-hitter in the league and has been impactful since Opening Day, when he hit a seventh inning go-ahead homer.

In addition to producing offensively, Lind has also used his defensive versatility to produce in the field. Coming into this season, he had not played outfield since 2010, but he has worked hard in the outfield and has played 24 games there this season.

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When Lind signed with the Nats, he was believed to be insurance for Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman had battled injuries throughout the last few years, and appeared to be way past his prime. However, Zimmerman has managed to stay healthy and is playing like he is five years younger.

Despite Zimmerman’s resurgence, Lind has remained productive while playing outfield and spelling Zimmerman at first base. Lind and Zimmerman have formed a dynamic duo and have combined to hit 39 homers while playing first, which is second-most in the National League.

Lind and Zimmerman have combined to hit more homers than that, but Zimmerman has remained healthy and outfielders have been dropping like flies, so many of Lind’s homers have come while playing outfield.

Lind continued his outstanding play this week, appearing in every game and recording a hit in each of his three starts. He also led the potent Nats lineup in quite a few offensive statistical categories.

In six games, he led the Nats in runs (four), homers (three), RBI’s (nine), batting average (.455), on-base percentage (.571), slugging percentage (1.273), and on-base plus slugging (1.844). Lind had a great week altogether, but a few games stood out in particular.

The first outstanding performance from Lind was also the first game of the week, Sunday night against the Dodgers. Pinch-hitting is widely regarded as one of the most difficult tasks in baseball, but Lind has excelled at it all season.

Sunday night was no different, as Lind pinch-hit in the bottom of the eighth and hit his 11th homer of the season. Coming off the bench and getting a hit is very difficult; coming off the bench and hitting a homer against a playoff-caliber team on a September night is near impossible.

Another outstanding performance from Lind came on Saturday night against the New York Mets. Zimmerman was dealing with “general soreness”, so Lind got the nod at first base and took full advantage of the opportunity.

Lind went 2-for-2 with a homer and two RBI’s before being removed from the game. His homer was also monumental, the 200th of his career.

Reaching 200 career homers is an enormous milestone that not too many players have accomplished. Lind is a special hitter, and has been for a long time. He is taking on an unfamiliar role this season, but has not missed a beat and is still producing as if he were playing everyday.

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Adam Lind was a fantastic signing, another stroke of genius from Mike Rizzo. He has proven to be an elite hitter, regardless of his role, and has countless clutch hits. If he remains this productive into October, he can be an invaluable asset off the bench and could undoubtedly come up with one of the biggest hits in team history.