2005 Washington Nationals
These guys are the real “OG’s” as the kids say. The inaugural season of the Washington Nationals exceeded fans expectations despite the team finishing .500 on the nose.
More from District on Deck
- A Washington Nationals Christmas Wishlist
- Washington Nationals: Is Seth Lugo Still an Option?
- Robots in Baseball? The Possibility of an Automated Ball/Strike System in the MLB
- Washington Nationals Re-Sign RHP Erasmo Ramirez
- Washington Nationals Sign RHP Trevor Williams
The 2005 Nationals place as the fifth seed in the tournament.
While most fans think of Livan Hernandez when reminiscing on this team, it was fellow starter John Patterson that led the team in WAR with 4.5.
Patterson finished five outs away from pitching 200 innings. His ERA of 3.13 and FIP of 3.46 are both higher than Hernandez’s marks of 3.98 and 4.33 respectively.
In the batter’s box, Nick Johnson proved to be a patient force. His .408 OBP was good for ninth in the MLB. He nearly finished with more walks than strikeouts, with 80 free passes and 87 whiffs. In fact, he did just that the following year with 110 walks to 99 strikeouts.
Johnson also hit the century marks in runs, placing him just outside of the top ten in the MLB. His OPS+ of 137 is also fantastic.
As the fifth seed, the 2005 Nationals have the best odds of the Old School teams to advance.
Outside of Johnson, this team has no outstanding bats. However, the pitching staff is quite good. This team will need to win low scoring games because its offense cannot keep up with the firepower of its opponents.
Tomorrow, we will preview the top four seeds of our Ultimate Simulation, the “New School” Washington Nationals.