Washington Nationals: 2017 NLDS Tale of the Tape

 Third Base: Anthony Rendon vs. Kris Bryant

When looking at this position battle, you have to nitpick to find any difference between these two players. Both of them had great 2017’s and their success could determine which team advances to the NLCS.

If you go by the old school numbers, Bryant didn’t have a high RBI total this year (73), but the reigning NL MVP had 29 home runs, drew 95 walks, and scored 111 times. Plus, he is heading into the postseason on a great note.

Since the All-Star break, Bryant has an on-base percentage of .421, hit .325, and had 11 home runs to go with 35 RBI’s. Bryant won’t be in the MVP race this year, but the Cubs only care about the roll that he is on right now.

Meanwhile, Anthony Rendon has been in the MVP conversation all year. He hit 25 home runs, drove in 100 runs, and had an on-base percentage of .403. But, the most impressive stat of his this season is that he had more walks (84) than strikeouts (82).

Plus, he did not hit lower than .264 in any given season. His 5.7 WAR was seventh in the NL and the highest on the Washington Nationals roster among position players. However, Bryant’s WAR was one spot higher (5.9).

Advantage: This is a fun compare-and-contrast exercise because some new school numbers favor Rendon and some old school numbers favor Bryant. Just like first base, you could rule this one as a push, but the slight edge goes to Rendon. However, he needs to better than the 3-for-20 he hit last year in the NLDS. Nationals get the slight checkmark.